Ex-Donors Ask for Help From Charity : Recession: As more and more families become homeless, the Salvation Army is being financially squeezed. A fund-raising dinner is planned for May 12.

The recession has hit Pomona--and other areas in the region--so hard that some of the people who used to donate money to the Salvation Army are asking for assistance, according to officials of the charitable organization.

“We’re finding more and more families are becoming homeless,” said Maj. Moses Reyes, commanding officer of the organization’s Pomona corps.

Last year, the Salvation Army served 42,064 people here, up from 36,555 the year before, Reyes said. And a 14% increase is anticipated this year.

Many of the people who require assistance are the same sort of people who, in better times, would drop $5 or $10 in a Salvation Army kettle or would mail in a contribution, Reyes said. Many have lost good jobs in the aerospace industry and cannot find suitable employment, despite good educations, so they wind up in menial jobs or out of work, he said.

A woman who lost a middle management position in aerospace turned to the Salvation Army for help because she could not pay her bills by working at a fast-food restaurant, Reyes said.

Another woman, who also had lost a good job, came to the Salvation Army for food but insisted on working as a volunteer in repayment because she could not accept charity, he said.

Brian Pickering, director of public relations for Salvation Army offices in the Inland Empire, said the financial squeeze is occurring not just in Pomona but throughout the region.

“The need is greater, but the dollar to help out is harder to come by,” he said.

“We certainly see the same thing,” added John Jones, director of business at the Salvation Army in Pasadena.

He said the recession’s impact was evident last Thanksgiving in Pasadena when the traditional meal for the needy drew a large turnout.

“Some of the people eating with us were those who had donated in the past,” he said.

The Salvation Army, which was founded in England in 1865 as a church and social agency, has been in Pomona more than 100 years, since 1888. It provides food and temporary shelter to individuals and families facing emergencies.

The church does not have a soup kitchen in Pomona but buys food in bulk for distribution to those who need temporary help. It also arranges for lodging at Salvation Army shelters in Whittier and San Bernardino or at local hotels on a short-term basis. It also works with utility companies to help those who are behind in their bills.

Because of the increasing number of people seeking help and the lack of money to provide assistance, Reyes said the Salvation Army is trying to stretch its resources by dispensing less food per family and buying cheaper items.

He said that unless contributions grow, the Salvation Army may have to raise the rates for its preschool day-care program for the children of working parents. About 80 children are enrolled in the program, which charges $57 a week.

Reyes said the Salvation Army received $60,000 last year from United Way, but that organization is also having fund-raising problems, and he expects the allocation to be reduced 15% to 25% this year.

Direct donations to the Salvation Army are lagging, he said. For example, the organization collected $16,000 at the Los Angeles County Fair five years ago but only $2,680 last year.

Although collections at Christmas kettles at post offices and shopping centers more than doubled, to $46,426, last year, Reyes said, the increase came from soliciting donations in neighboring communities where contributions had not been sought before. The extra money was spent on services in the neighboring communities so there was no net benefit to Pomona, he said.

In an effort to raise more revenue, the Salvation Army will hold a fund-raising dinner, at $50 a plate, at the Shilo Inn on May 12. Participants in the program will include actor Tom Lester, who played Eb on the Green Acres television show; character actress Nedra Volz and former major league pitcher Geoff Zahn. Master of ceremonies will be Bob Banfield, Inland Empire correspondent for KABC-TV Channel 7.

The dinner will honor members of the Todd family of Pomona for their longtime support of the Salvation Army. Richard K. Todd and his wife, Jean; his brother, Jack, and Jack’s son, John, will receive the organization’s Drumbeater award for service.

Tickets may be obtained until Tuesday by calling the Salvation Army office in Pomona. (714) 623-1579.