By RIEL MAJOR

CHARITY organisations such as the Children’s Emergency Hostel, Persis Rodgers Home for the Aged and the Ranfurly Home for Children have all reported their donations for the Christmas season are down.

Leslie Smith, administrative assistant of Children’s Emergency Hostel, said: “Donations have been slow and there has been a decrease this year compared to last year. Please don’t forget the Children’s Emergency Hostel.”

She said officials from the children’s home are praying for more donations to come in. The orphanage is need of food items and cleaning supplies.  

“Donations have been very minimum…it has been very, very slow,” said the home’s human resources administrator Janice Mackey.

“If we get donations I’m sure that will assist us with helping about 50 persons. We would accept any type of food item, toiletries, cleaning items, but the basic need right now is food and water.” 

She said last year, the organisation received a lot of donations during the hurricane season.

“There was an (uptick) hurricane time, once that has passed there is nothing much happening with donations at this time.”’

According to Alexandria Mallis Lynch, president of the board of directors for Ranfurly Home for Children: “It’s slow but we aren’t ungrateful for whatever we get. We are well aware of what the country is under. We always count on people helping us and I wouldn’t expect it to be any different. Bahamians are still very generous people…things are tough right now.”

However, she admitted there is a “slight decrease compared to last year” in donations. 

“We have a wish list on our website for what we need but we are always in need of support so we can afford to pay our staff properly and pay our bills properly. If people didn’t want to give us the money but put something on our BEC bill we are happy for that too. We have the same bills as a normal house and that’s times 30,” she said. 

Shirley Clarke, assistant administrator of Persis Rodgers Home for the Aged, said: “People are still bringing in (donations) now and then. It has decreased (compared) to last year.

“We need food, cleaning supplies…we don’t need any clothes. People who can come and volunteer, we (have) building repairs that need to be done.” 

She said despite charitable donations being down this holiday season, the senior citizen’s home is still hoping for more people to come in and give them a hand.

An administrator from the Elizabeth Estates Children’s Home, who preferred to be unnamed, said: “(Donations) could have been better but I thank God for the people making donations. Compared to last year, donations have been about the same.”

The administrator said the home is need of personal items such as toothpaste and tooth brushes, among other items.