Despite Maritimers’ generosity over the holidays, the new year is the toughest for non-profits

Charities looks for support as donations dwindle after the holidays.

January to March are the toughest months for some non-profits, like Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank in Halifax, as donations tend to slow down after the holidays.

“Last year, between January to March, donations were down about four per cent overall, I believe. So it’s definitely the hardest months for us because people are strapped from Christmas and maybe people who regularly give to us just don’t have the means to give because they had to provide for their family at Christmas,” says Anastasia Payne, the organization’s communications coordinator.

Demand doesn’t slow down for Parker Street just because the holidays are over, in fact, with a new year, comes new clients.

“Demand is actually always increasing here. I don’t know if there has ever been a year that we haven’t done more than the previous year. So, it’s a tough time of year for a lot of people,” adds Payne.

Parker Street is grateful for all the donations over the holidays as it sustains them for the first two weeks of January. They say they are always in need of financial donations this time of year too to help with their emergency program, which provides funding for people’s heating and hydro bills.

People can donate to their website or call them.

“Since we were closed for a week, we still do get donations during that time. So during the first two weeks of January we are good for food. In the middle of January that does start to dwindle down a little bit, and we start looking for extras, potatoes, carrots, all of the staples,” says Payne.

Other Halifax non-profits, like Brunswick Street Mission, say these are the months they need regular donations to see where that puts them for the year.

“I’m at the beginning of a new budget year, so I’m back at one and I don’t know how donations are going to look for the rest of 2026. So we have to start off in January a little more conservatively, so we can’t go crazy shopping because I don’t know how much money I am going to get in and the demand is just as high as it was in December,” says Lisa Harrison, Brunswick Street Mission’s executive director.

Brunswick Street Mission helps 100 households per week that are in need, with over 300 people a week assisted across all their services. Harrison says the demand is high and she doesn’t see it slowing down.

“We had a lot of people that came through before Christmas and they naturally expect to come back and get the same service, but we are going to have to be more conservative because we just don’t have enough stuff after Christmas,” adds Harrison.

When it comes to food donations, it’s pantry staples that they need the most.

“Things like rice, pasta, tomato sauce, tin soup, tuna fish and breakfast cereal, and oatmeal are great too, things that store well and are made to go a long way,” adds Harrison.

They are always collecting clothing items as well, like hats, mitts, and coats – ideally new.

People can drop off donations to their in-person location on Brunswick Street or donate online as well.

Souls Harbour Rescue Mission says they saw businesses and companies step up over the holidays.

The donations they received put them in a good position for 2026, although they also see a dip in donations at the start of each year.

“We expect Christmas donations to lead us into Easter where we will have another campaign that will start at Easter and donations will be picked up at that time as well,” says chief operating officer Cherry Laxton.

Souls Harbour provides meals to those in need across the province - they see about 600 people daily. For them, demand doesn’t take a holiday.

“For us, cash flow is very important because it allows us to purchase what’s needed when it’s needed, but any type of donation, whether it’s food items, hygiene items, clothing items, (they) go to Mission Mart,” adds Laxton.

People can also donate to Souls Harbour online or in person.

They are welcoming people to join their team as well, as the new year is an opportunity for new volunteers.

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