‘A real tough balancing act’: Inflation a Grinch for the Christmas Bureau

In 2022, a year of rising prices after the COVID-19 pandemic meant increased expenses for the Christmas Bureau and increased need in the community, so bureau organizers raised the fundraising goal from $535,000, where it sat since 2019, to $600,000.

But it may have been those same rising prices that prevented many from donating what they otherwise would have, because – for the first time in nearly two decades – The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund fell short of its goal that year.

And it wasn’t only a problem in Spokane.

According to a June Axios article, Americans gave the least of their disposable incomes to charity last year since 1995.

Meanwhile, a 2022 Bankrate survey found 40% of respondents said inflation would affect the way they shop, though a Gallup survey from November this year found consumers’ expected holiday spending was rising again.

This year, the bureau is in a similar situation. Nearly all of its expenses have increased, and it served about 14% more people in 2023 than in 2022.

The problem is hitting the toy buyers especially hard.

“Everything has gone up so much in cost that the toys that we used to be able to buy are just not in our price range anymore,” said head toy-buyer Cheryl Taam.

“We could buy a lot less toys and we still spent more than we spent last year,” she said. “We had a wooden easel that we used to get for $19.99. It’s now $40. We can’t afford it.”

It’s not only toy prices that have gone up. Shipping costs have increased as well, Taam said.

The toy-buying team has developed several strategies to combat boosted prices.

They start purchasing gifts in January, when deals are often the best, but then they have to pay for a year of storage.

They purchase directly from suppliers. While this means they are cutting the cost of a middle man, it also means they take on the workload of a would-be broker.

They often work up corporate ladders, building relationships, pleading their case and bargaining.

Still, “as much as I try to negotiate, it’s just not working,” Taam said.

“Most people can’t afford to give you discounts, they can’t afford to give you free shipping and that’s what we normally try to do,” she said. “So we are in a quandary as to what to do.”

Marliee Roloff, retired CEO of Volunteers of America, just finished her 38th year volunteering at the Christmas Bureau. She oversees the book buying.

As a nonprofit, the Christmas Bureau usually gets discounts on books, but those prices have increased as well.

“The books that we used to pay $1.99 for, and get a really good deal, now we’re paying $2.99 or $3.99, so the books have gone up quite a bit,” she said.

So far, they have been able to maintain the quality and amount of books, Roloff said, but this year, unlike last, there weren’t many leftovers.

“We’re going to have to order a lot more this year,” Roloff said.

But she said the books aren’t going anywhere.

“We’ll do something, we’ll find a way,” Roloff said.

Taam isn’t so sure.

“Can we make $600,000? Is that going to make a difference of what I can buy next year? Will kids be without toys?” she asked. “I don’t know. And that makes me sad. I don’t like turning people away.”

Taam said it’s important to give recipients quality toys.

“We don’t want to buy toys that they play with at Christmas and then it breaks,” she said. “That might be the only one they’re getting that year.”

Still, she said, “We keep pushing the maximum of our budget, and what do we do after that?”

“It’s a real tough balancing act,” she said. “I stay awake at night thinking, ‘How are we going to do this?’ ”

Food prices are also higher than they used to be, and the bureau hopes to address this by offering larger grocery vouchers next year.

“We would love to increase the $30 grocery vouchers if we can to try to alleviate the affects of inflation, at least to give people a little bit more of a break,” said Christmas Bureau Coordinator Heidi Meany.

Donations

The work of the Christmas Bureau, offering toys, books and a little boost for a Christmas dinner to thousands families in need, would not be possible without the annual support of the community. The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund now sits at $319,481.46, thanks to more generous donations from the community totaling $48,781. The fund is past the halfway mark to this year’s goal of $600,000.

Travis Pattern and Foundry made a $40,000 donation. “The owners and employees of Travis Pattern & Foundry again wish to donate the funds that we would have spent on a Christmas party to your fund… We hope we can help make Christmas a little brighter for some Spokane families,” they wrote.

An anonymous donor sent $2,200. “Best wishes and much thanks to everyone who contributes to make this fund possible,” they wrote.

Mary Eddy and Nicholas Cowley each donated $500 via PayPal.

An anonymous donor sent $500, writing, “Thank you for all you do to bring joy to so many in our community! We hope this will help you continue this wonderful holiday tradition.”

An anonymous donor dropped off $500 in cash.

Linda Solan gave $400.

“In loving memory of Julie Morris,” Joani Diskin Saran and Jeff Morris together donated $300.

Corrine and Dallas Dixon sent $300.

Greg and Colleen Stevens donated $300. “Merry Christmas and thank you to all the volunteers,” they wrote.

“In memory of our parents, Hugh and Catherine Lee and Ken and Alice Smith and our grandson Austin McKenzie,” Bob and Judy Lee of Sun City West, Arizona, donated $300. “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,” they wrote.

Charles and Rose Carver donated $250 “in memory of parents Elmer and Irma, sisters Connie, Carol, Jeannie, brothers John and Andy, Grandma Marshall.”

Mark Switzer sent $250 “in memory of Robert ‘El Biggo’ Switzer, the embodiment of the Christmas Spirit.”

Jim Millard, Theresa Smith, Diane Veltri, Mary Shinn and Mary Steenblik each donated $200.

Barbara Hinzman donated $150.

Cyrus McLean, Solveig and Jon Miller, two anonymous donors, and Thomas and Elaine Pitzer all gave $100.

Mike and Marion Fietek donated $100, “in memory of our son Eric.”

Wyatt and Liam Schrader sent $100, as did Phillip Brown and Linda Fernan.

Anne Franke sent $86.

John and Jacquelin Richardson donated $75.

Douglas and Marylyn Lloyd, Brenda Clark and Mike and Dorothy McMurtery all donated $50.

Emily Gordon donated $50, “to honor Becky Nappi and Tony Wadden.”

An anonymous donor sent $30 “in memory of Donna Holbrook.”

Cheryl Morrissey sent $20, as did an anonymous donor.