“The tenor of the calls has changed,” said Barry Waldman, vice president of communications for Trident United Way. “Two years ago, it was all people who were chronically poor and didn’t know how to go about getting help. And now we get calls from people who had a job, are desperate to get work again and can’t believe they are in this situation.”
Waldman said it has become a conundrum for nonprofits across the Lowcountry and the nation: The need for their services is reaching record levels while many of the people who once donated to these charities are unable to do so and now need help themselves.
With the state’s unemployment rate over 12 percent, more people are struggling to make the rent, pay their utilities and even buy groceries. The Lowcountry Food Bank, which distributes food to many other charitable organizations, has sent out 40 percent more food than it did last year.