The St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has launched its holiday giving campaign with a gift catalog full of gifts for individuals in need.  Gifts start at $18 to provide three blankets for disaster victims and range up to $2,000 to sponsor a meal truck that will deliver 200 meals to shelter sites.  Right in the middle, $1,000 will provide a whole class with CPR training.  The campaign follows a national survey showing that despite the economic downturn,  people remain committed to digging deep into their pockets to support charitable causes this holiday season even as they cut back more on other holiday activities.

     “The holiday season is a time of hope, and a gift to the Red Cross provides hope when the next disaster strikes, when a neighbor’s house burns down, when someone needs life-saving blood or when a child needs a hug and a blanket,” said Cindy Erickson, regional chief executive officer of the St. Louis Area Chapter. “A gift to the Red Cross can save the day for people in need, whether they are down the street, across the country, or around the world.”

     This month alone, the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has responded to  fires in Arnold, Cedar Hill, Kimmswick, Festus, and Pevely, providing food, shelter, clothing and personal items to victims.

     The purchase of each gift item is a tax-deductible contribution to the overall mission of the American Red Cross.  On the rare occasion when donations exceed the need in a particular area, we will use your contribution to help others where the need is greatest.  

     According to the survey, nearly three in four people (72 percent) expect to give more or about the same to charity as they did last year, according to the national survey for the American Red Cross, which was conducted October 21-24.

     This commitment to support charities during the holiday season occurs even as 86 percent of Americans reported their personal finances are the same or worse than they were last year.

     The Red Cross survey shows seven in 10 people (70 percent) are planning to reduce spending for at least one common holiday expense.  More than four in 10 plan to reduce spending on travel (43 percent) and decorations (45 percent), and more than a third will make cuts in entertaining (38 percent) and gifts (35 percent) for friends and family.  By comparison, only about one of five (23 percent) are planning to reduce their charitable contributions compared to last year. 

     About a third (32 percent) say they are not planning charitable donations over the holidays, with half of them (52 percent) saying they just don’t have the money to donate.  

     And nearly six in 10 (58 percent) say that because the economy is in bad shape, it is more important this year to give to charity. 

     “It’s gratifying to see that while the personal finances of many people are strained, they still feel a strong desire to do what they can to help someone else in need,” Erickson said.

     The Red Cross survey found that women have a strong sense of giving as a part of the holiday tradition and are more likely to take the current economy into consideration when giving.  When it comes to opening their wallets, however, men tend to give charitably in higher amounts. 

     About seven in eight women (86 percent) say that helping someone less fortunate is an important part of the holiday tradition, higher than the 69 percent of men.  Nearly two in three women (65 percent) feel charitable giving is more important in light of the economy; only half of men (51 percent) agree.

     However, while women report a higher propensity to give, the survey shows that men seem to dig a little deeper to do so.  Of the three in five Americans (57 percent) planning to donate to charity this holiday season, around two in five men (38 percent) will give more than $100 to charity.  Only about one in four women (24 percent) plan to donate that amount. 

     The Red Cross campaign's  holiday giving catalog, www.redcross.org/gifts features searches by price range and by where individuals would like their donations to go.  Categories include 'Most Popular Gifts,' 'Help our Troops,' 'Urgent Needs in the USA,' and 'Global Compassion.'   A Spanish-language version of the catalog is also available, www.cruzrojaamericana.org/catalogo.