Growing demand keeping charities even busier this holiday season

Charities have been working hard to collect toys, food and other holiday essentials to meet the growing demand from needy families this holiday season -- some of them needing help because of October’s floods.

Demand appears to be higher for the 2015 holiday season, with the primary reason the historic floods that struck not only the Myrtle Beach area but other locations across South Carolina in early October.

“There is a small connection with that, I would definitely say,” said Major Angie Repass, with the local chapter of The Salvation Army, regarding the flooding.

Repass added that almost a dozen families have come to The Salvation Army seeking assistance for the first time during this holiday season.

The Salvation Army will help over 1,100 children across the Myrtle Beach area, which is 100 more than received assistance in 2014, according to Repass.

These children will be provided with toys, clothing and holiday meals for their families. While most put together a wish list, Repass said needy families were also asked to compose a needs list for the first time.

Items on the latter include items like sheets, comforters, clothing and baby diapers, Repass said.

Nanci Conley, executive director of the eastern South Carolina chapter of the American Red Cross, said over 591 families in the region were affected by the massive floods.

Most of those families, Conley added, have been assisted at this point. However, there are still a few the organization is working with on long-term recovery.

Right now, the Red Cross’ big focus is its 27th annual Christmas Day dinner. Organizers and volunteers will prepare and distribute 7,000 holiday meals to four sites in Horry and Georgetown counties.

That is 500 more meals than were made in 2014, Conley said. The star attraction is, of course, the turkey. Seven thousand pounds of it will be used for those 7,000 meals.

The spirit of generosity often found during the holidays is felt not only among those who open their wallets for the less fortunate, but among the groups who work tirelessly to make the season more merry for needy families.

Conley praised the camaraderie and assistance across all the local charities.

“It’s a phenomenal area to work with people,” she said.

There was also plenty of praise to go around for those who have donated.

Tracy Vreeland, communications and marketing coordinator for the United Way of Horry County, said the organization is excited and “pretty confident” it will meet the $1.3 million goal for its campaign blitz that started with Sept. 11th’s 15th Annual Day of Caring and continued over 90 days.

Money raised during the campaign will help the United Way provide services not only during the holidays, but also into 2016, Vreeland said. Those initiatives include the community resource hotline and education and literacy programs.

She added the organization is at 72 percent of its goal.

“Our hard end date for the campaign isn’t until April 30,” Vreeland said. “We love that people are thoughtful during the holidays and try to make that big push to help out and donate.”

Repass said The Salvation Army’s red kettle drive could possibly set a fund-raising record. The goal was $140,000, she added, but with all the money that has been coming in, that number was upped to $200,000.

“That allows us to pay more light bills, help more families with food,” Repass said of the red kettle drive.

Marsh Myers, who assists with Marine Corps League’s Toys for Tots, has been satisfied with the response in donations he has seen at the 16 sites he personally manages.

One of those is the Hilton Myrtle Beach, which had a one-night collection on Dec. 13. Myers said 289 toys were collected over the course of that single evening.

“I know there is a need out there,” Myers said.

With winter almost here, Conley and the American Red Cross will shift gears and work to assist those who are displaced because of home fires, which are often sparked in the colder months because of faulty heaters.

The unseasonably warm weather the Grand Strand has been experiencing as of late has been “a blessing” in keeping those numbers low so far, Conley said.

And whenever an emergency strikes, be it the holiday season or any other day of the year, these area organizations will be at the forefront for helping those less fortunate.

“The demand doesn’t go down,” Conley said.

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Growing demand keeping charities even busier this holiday season."