empty coffers

If this is the season for giving, here's a good target. empty tomb, a local charity which helps the most needy in our community, is running on empty. Or worse, running a deficit at the worse possible time.

From the News-Gazette:

CHAMPAIGN - This is the time of year donations to the Empty Tomb usually increase, and the organization needs the money more than ever.
Six employees are waiting for paychecks they should have received last week.
The Empty Tomb Inc. - a nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing, furniture and financial assistance for needy families - has a budget shortfall every year, usually in August through December, said Marcia Gruschow, the organization's coordinator.
But it is worse this year. Some employees have been paid late every pay period since July, and for a while the organization was two paychecks behind in paying them.

empty tomb is local folks helping local folks. When people in our community need help, empty tomb doesn't ask questions, it simply helps. In Christ's name. But now, in order for empty tomb to help those who need it the most, we need to help them.

The organization received gifts from individuals ranging from $6 to $7,000, and some churches are taking a special offering for Empty Tomb. The donations have helped reduce the deficit to about $2,000 now, but Gruschow said the bills and salaries due at the end of the month will be another $15,000.
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The organization has 17 employees. Those paid on an hourly basis and those who are the sole breadwinners for their households are paid first. Eight other employees agreed to wait for their paychecks, and they are paid as the money becomes available.

A lot of local people, church people and community folks volunteer at empty tomb, but in order for it to function, there needs to be some paid staff. Right now, that paid staff isn't being paid. And because of that, people who need help may not get that help they desperately need.

During the holiday season, the organization works with area churches to provide Thanksgiving food baskets for needy families, and it holds a Christmas toy give-away in December.
"We need support so these things can continue," Gruschow said. "We're all committed that the services continue, and that's why we agreed we'd hold off getting paid if necessary."
The organization operates entirely on donations from individuals and churches. Some people give once a year, some quarterly and some monthly.

This holiday season, instead of blowing every penny you have on something plastic from North Prospect, take a couple bucks, or more than a couple, put it in an envelope and send it to empty tomb. This is neighbor helping neighbor.

To donate
Those who want to make a donation to the Empty Tomb can do so by mailing it to Empty Tomb Inc., P.O. Box 2404, Champaign, IL 61825-2404. Donations can also be made through the organization's Web site at www.emptytomb.org.
For information, check out the Web site or call or e-mail coordinator Marcia Gruschow at 356-2262 or cooremptytomb.org.

Please. Make this a season of giving.

And so it goes.