With the holiday season now in full swing, the mound of colorful toys is slowly growing this week at Logan Heights Community Development Corporation.
“There’s something for everyone — its games, its books, its little balls,” said CEO Monte Jones, looking at the donated gifts.
The organization has held its Toys for Kids drive for the last five years. Last year, they were able to provide toys for nearly 1,000 families, Jones said. But this year they're not getting as many donations.
“Now we have 130 something. So we got a good ways to go. We have almost 700 (kids) signed up for this year,” Jones said. “In a tough economy it's communities like Logan Heights that bear the brunt of not being able to have these things for their families during the holiday season.”
One indication of why donations might be down is a drop in consumer confidence in November, said Hisham Foad, an associate professor in economics at San Diego State University.
“Charitable giving goes up and down with how well the economy is doing," Foad said.
A new report from the Charities Aid Foundation America estimates about 10% fewer people will give to charity this year in the U.S. compared to last year. But those who plan to donate are expected to double their contributions.
Foad said that trend can hit smaller organizations harder.
“When there's more uncertainty, more doubt where you'll be next year, two years, five years from now — that cuts down on giving. And we're at a point right now where uncertainty is really high,” Foad said.
At Logan Heights CDC, Jones said their greatest need is for toys for kids between 2 and 14 years old.
The organization is accepting donations through Thursday at their office or online.
The toys will be distributed Friday at the free, annual Light Up Logan holiday event. It’s set to take place just down the road from the Logan Heights CDC office at The Soap Factory.
