Crisis over for charities? Far from it!

A friend made a comment over the weekend that caused The Cliff to pause and take stock. She said: It feels the crisis is over for nonprofits. Not the problems, but the severity of the crisis that has plagued the region for most of a year.

The Cliff decided to pose that question to a few warriors on the frontline:

Beverly Howard at Loaves & Fishes just laughed.

Last month, Howard said, her food bank saw an increase in people who'd run out on unemployment benefits and still unable to find a job.

"The need here is at an all-time high," she said. "We don't anticipate the need going down for some months. The reality for our clients is that once the economy turns around, it will still take six months to a year for them to experience any relief."

That means that people will continue to get behind on rents or the mortgage -- and utilities. And they'll continue to need places like Loaves & Fishes for basic sustenance, or Crisis Assistance Ministry for help to keep from getting thrown in the street.

Carol Hardison, head of Crisis Assistance, groaned at the question.

"That shocks and scares me," she said.

Yes, the budget sheets are in better shape, but only because most charities have shed employees and services.

But has the severity of the problem diminished?

"No way," Hardison said. "We did make adjustments and did layoffs and we're right-sizing. But there's thousands of people who are no longer receiving services."

In July and August, she saw record numbers standing at the door of Crisis Assistance each morning.

The city was vastly helped by the $3 million raised for the Critical Need Response Fund last winter, she said. "It gave us a cushion, so we didn't have to pull out all the stops to help the people we were seeing. It got us through the summer."

But now they're seeing a double-digit increase in needs.

"We're just like the for-profits that are looking more productive," Hardison said. "They do more with less. But who picks up the people who are left out? As far as what we're seeing, a whole lot more people are closer to the cliff than ever.

"To me, the cliff is just starting for many vulnerable families."

At Jacob's Ladder Job Center, the job-preparing nonprofit, executive director Steffi Travis chuckles at the question.

"No. Not true. Charities are struggling in every dimension," Travis said. "I do think we've all adjusted ... but we are all having to vie for the same strapped dollars in a more personal way."

Her agency's clients are more anxious and burned out than she's seen in 30 years of working for nonprofits.

"Everything they do requires them to get services from other folks," she said. "If it's medical, they're often told appointments are long and waiting. Or services have been cut. I haven't seen any uplifting moments."

Jacob's Ladder has a group of highly qualified volunteers who committed for a limited time after they were laid off because they expected to be back working shortly. A year later, many are still jobless and volunteering, Travis said.

Donors are still tight with their money, uncertain about what the future holds. Charities are having to spend more time with donors relaying personal stories.

"They understand they need to give back -- and we are all truly grateful," she said. "But a lot of affluent donors just don't get how badly people are suffering. So they're holding back more than they'd normally give."

Festival to celebrate film, a landmark and ending hunger

It's a celebration of movies and food (and not Goobers or popcorn) and a building that has been a gathering spot for 45 years, old by Charlotte standards.

Organizers of the week-long Charlotte Film Festival, which opens Sept. 21, wanted to make the event more meaningful. So they're opening at the Park Terrace Cinema, which turns 45 this year, with the 45-year-old Cold War satire "Dr. Strangelove."

The opening night, which will also include Charlotte filmmaker John Schwert's "In/Significant Others," is free -- with a donation of nonperishable food to the Second Harvest Food Bank to fight hunger.

The non-profit festival is designed to bring undiscovered talent and great cinema to Charlotte. Organizers are also committed to educate the public about film, and build partnerships. So they're using the upcoming festival to raise awareness of the need for more food as a growing number of the unemployed rely increasingly on food banks.

The festival hopes to raise 500 pounds of nonperishables to donate to the cause.

"We wanted to focus on how the festival impacts a community and not just in the choice of films," said Jennifer Bratyanski, the festival program director. "It's great to celebrate film, but what does it matter if you can't help the community.

"In this economy, Second Harvest is a very important nonprofit that needs help. Film nourishes the heart and soul. Food nourishes the body."

Bratyanski, who teaches U.S. history at Central Piedmont Community College and Queens University, grew up in Charlotte and spent a lot of her childhood at Park Terrace, in the Park Road Shopping Center. It's where she saw "ET," where she took her slumber parties. "The space has a lot of memories for me," she said. "We all laughed and cried there -- it's the perfect place to open the festival and celebrate a landmark.

"There aren't many left in Charlotte."

Only one of the theaters at Park Terrace is being used to show Stanley Kubrick's classic and the film by Schwert, who will be at the showing. It has 95 seats. Bratyanski is asking patrons to arrive early with cans of food to drop in collection boxes by 6:15 p.m. The movie will start at 6:30 p.m.

"We're expecting a great crowd for this classic movie at a classic venue," she said. "We want patrons to give back to the community that allows this festival to be here. And we want to help Second Harvest, one of the most important charities we have in the area. It handles basic needs of every human."

For information about the festival's offerings and ticket sales click here.

Eat a hot dog, help find a cure

Got lunch plans Friday, or Saturday and Sunday for that matter? Stop by any Fresh Market store -- there are three in the Charlotte area -- and have a hot dog, root beer float and cookie. It'll cost you a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

This is no new philanthropic venture for Fresh Market. It'll be the 15th year the Greensboro-born-and-based gourmet supermarket company, now with 90 stores in 17 states, has held its three-day fundraiser to benefit the foundation. The company's supplying all the food and will donate every dime.

Its stores are also selling those green paper sneakers at the check-out counter for a buck, another fundraiser for the foundation.

The foundation has been Fresh Market's charity of choice for many years, after Beverly Berry, wife of Fresh Market founder Ray Berry, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 31. Before she died in November 2007, she and her husband were stalwarts in raising money for research to find a cure, particularly in the Triad.

In addition to the weekend cookout, Fresh Market was the first presenting sponsor for the Walk to Cure Diabetes in Greensboro, and it has consistently been a sponsor of the JDRF Piedmont Triad Chapter's annual gala, where it was honored in 2001.

The company continues to raise money and awareness to honor Beverly Berry.

Over the 15 years, the sidewalk sale has raised more than $1 million, said Sally Langan, spokeswoman for the local chapter of the research foundation. "As an entire organization, this is Fresh Market's big push to raise money for research," Langan said. "We'll have our volunteers out at all the Fresh Markets serving up the treats all weekend."

So this weekend have a hot dog and root beer float on the Fresh Market and leave a nice donation to help find a cure for a terrible disease.