In Tampa, Florida, the holiday season has highlighted a concerning trend: while the demand for assistance from charities is surging, contributions from donors are dwindling. This situation is evident at Metropolitan Ministries, where the organization is gearing up to provide meals to approximately 850 families ahead of Christmas Eve.

Rob Lamke, the vice president of operations at Metropolitan Ministries, shared insights into the growing demand. “There’s been a remarkable sense of urgency,” Lamke remarked. “Our registration slots filled up significantly earlier than in previous years, which signals just how great the need is within the Tampa Bay community.”

In addition to the heightened demand, Lamke noted a decline in the number of drop-off donations, further complicating the charity’s efforts to meet community needs.

On top of that, Lamke said they’ve seen a lull in drop-off donations.

“We think that’s pretty indicative of the times, but one thing we know is that the Tampa community is so giving and so supportive,” said Lamke.

According to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the number of people donating has dropped about 10 percent from last year, with many saying their financial situation made the decision for them.

“They just don’t have it to give,” said JR Losche, who was dropping off a donation Monday. “I don’t have it to give either, but I feel sorry for everybody, it’s Christmas.”

Losche said he’s donating to the Ministries’ holiday drive for the first time after seeing a lot of people struggling to stay above water this year because of turbulence in the economy.

“If nobody would donate, then everybody would go hungry,” said Losche. “You’ve just got to dig down deep and try to figure out how to do what you can do.”

The meals that people are getting through the drive aren’t for an extravagant Christmas feast. Leaders said they’re only trying to take care of one of their expenses, their grocery bill, to give them some more financial bandwidth during the season.

“We did have our light bill that was due, so the money that was supposed to go to her presents went to the light bill, so this helps with her at least getting a couple of things,” said Brisneth Mejia, who was picking up donations for her and her daughter.

With the increase in demand, Lamke said they’re running low on pantry staples like starches and cereals. He said they’re hoping people will help out even in a ‘small’ way.

“The demand has been so much that we may not make it in some of our critical categories,” said Lamke. “It doesn’t need to be an entire bag. If it’s an item or two that’s going to make a difference for families in need this year.”