Local organizations expecting higher need this holiday season due to inflation

A recent report about the holiday season shows a lot of people plan to shop, but it also highlights high inflation have many worried.

According to Nerdwallet, nearly 217 million Americans plan to buy gifts for friends and family — the financial website reports those shoppers plan to spend an average of $823.

The report also shows the impact high prices, due to inflation, will have on the holiday season — 83% of those who plan to buy gifts said they will change the way they shop like giving different types of gifts and spending less money per person compared to years past.

“This is a time of great economic uncertainty [and] financial stress,” Kimberly Palmer, personal finance expert with Nerdwallet, said, adding: “For a lot of families, they will be scaling back and just being more careful about how they spend.”

Also because of inflation, 74% of people in the report said they’re worried about spending too much.

“I think this year more than ever, it’s important to be organized,” Palmer said. “Because the season is extending over so many weeks, it’s just really easy to overspend, so you want to be organized and stick with that list.”

Local organizations are already getting ready for an expected increase in the number of families in need this holiday.

“We know families are hurting right now,” Major Scott Shelbourn, commander with the Twin Cities’ Salvation Army, said.

“We’re already seeing it in our food pantries, and requests for rent assistance that are coming in through our locations,” Major Shelbourn added. “Families are in desperate need of some help and relief from the inflationary pressures and just the rising costs.”

Major Shelbourn said the Twin Cities Salvation Army is expecting to support 5,500 families — he said that would be a 38% increase from last year.

They’re not alone, An East Side Christmas, said they’ve already started to see an increase in the number of families reaching out for help — the St. Paul organization connects people with families in need to buy gifts.

“Thankfully there [are] neighbors that are willing to help and try and make those kids Christmases,” Bianca Cervantes, who has supported families with An East Side Christmas for six years, said.

Not having COVID-19 relief money and unemployment are two reasons Cervantes said they’re seeing an increase this year.

You can message An East Side Christmas’ director if you’d like to help here.

While their Red Kettle and Stuff the Sleigh toy drive begins soon, you can support the Twin Cities’ Salvation Army here.