By Chris Cassidy
With winter two months away, North Shore charities are already seeing record numbers of people who can't afford to heat their homes or buy food.
The effects of the global financial crisis, once confined to Wall Street, are being felt now in local food pantries, shelters and the living rooms of some of the region's poorest.
"We're seeing more people applying for (fuel assistance) than we have in many, many years. More people than I've seen in the 15 years I've been here," said Beth Hogan, executive director of North Shore Community Action Programs, an anti-poverty agency in Peabody. "We're averaging about 300 calls a day, and we're doing our best to keep up with those calls."
The food pantry at the Salem Mission had to close twice last week because it ran out of food, marking only the second and third time in the last few years that's happened, said the shelter's executive director, Mark Cote.
"It's pretty desperate right now," Cote said. "I've never seen this kind of demand for food. It really is kind of overwhelming that we cannot keep the shelves stocked."
Meanwhile, state budget cuts will reduce services for senior citizens. Some $7 million in home care services across the state will be slashed, marking the deepest cuts to that program since 1990.
Paul Lanzikos, executive director of North Shore Elder Services, said up to 1,800 seniors across the state may have to wait for home-care services — a delay that could increase their chances of needing nursing home care, which in turn would cost more money.
"It becomes a vicious spiral," Lanzikos said.
Even local fire chiefs are concerned about the effects of the economic downturn.
Salem fire Chief David Cody worries that more people will start using wood stoves, fireplaces and space heaters, unaware of the fire risks.
Space heaters, for example, can't be hooked up to certain extension cords. They typically require special cords, which can be found at most local hardware stores, he said.
All wood stoves — even do-it-yourself models — require building permits upon completion, Cody said. And chimneys burning more than one cord of wood in a winter should be cleaned midseason, he suggested.
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said the city is trying to help local nonprofits by making available federal grant money — some $10,000 for NSCAP and $7,500 for the Salvation Army. The city's trust funds will also dedicate the same amount of money to both agencies.
"I think we're concerned because with fuel rising as much as it has, the traditional amount of funds that the organizations receive in assistance won't go as far," Driscoll said.
Still, there are signs of good news. The federal government will increase the amount of money it devotes to fuel assistance this year, and Social Security benefits are expected to rise.
But leaders of North Shore nonprofits say more has to be done and called on the community for help.
"I think people really need to be more thoughtful and cognizant of the people that they do live with in their neighborhoods and think about things like whether they have food or heat," Hogan said. "This could be a very difficult year for folks."
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Staff writer Chris Cassidy can be reached at ccassidy@salem news.com.
