At a time when more Americans are relying on charities for help, local donations have not been able to keep up with their needs.
The lack of donations contradicts national studies by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, which showed that historically, charitable giving only goes down by about 1 percent during a recession and donations to human-service charities actually rise, although slowly.
At the Alachua Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store, conditions have declined with the economy, said William McCoy, executive director.
McCoy said both material and monetary donations were steady at the beginning of the year, but now the store is down about a third from what it had last year in donations.
He said people don't have the money to donate and are either holding onto the items they would normally give or selling them in yard sales for a small profit.
Kristina Stubbs, spokeswoman for Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, said the charity has also seen a steady decline this year.
United Way of North Central Florida has experienced a significant drop in donations.
"People have less money, so they're not making the same contributions," said Mindy Underberger, United Way spokeswoman.
Underberger said charitable giving typically cycles along with the economy, and the recent troubles are to blame for the decrease in donations.
But employees of the charities said they don't believe the donation shortage means people don't want to give.
Although donations are down, McCoy said the thrift store's volunteering staff has not decreased.
Stubbs said donations at Bread of the Mighty picked up Friday in response to a plea for Thanksgiving staples.
"Gainesville always rallies," Stubbs said. "It has such a heart to help."
