Brown Santa in need of toy donations after reporting lowest donation turnout ever

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — As holiday shopping continues, organizations like Brown Santa are calling on people to donate.

The charity, which holds a big toy drive, said it has received the lowest amount of donations in its history. Adding to its challenge, more families are reaching out for help.

It can be hard to find the perfect holiday gift, but Dianne Williams had no trouble.

"I kind of set a budget this year on what I was going to spend, and I think I stayed within it," she said.

She will also be giving back to families in need.

"I actually have already been to Target and purchased quite a few things and taken them to my church," Williams said.

A small donation can go a long way. Over at the Brown Santa warehouse, they have a lot of needs.

This year, Brown Santa will serve about 2,500 families. Inside boxes, there are presents and food to make someone's day a little more special this Christmas.

"The bins behind us are usually full, and all of them are empty at this point," said Louis Moncivais with the Travis County Sheriff's Office.

Moncivais said they saw a 40% increase in families that applied for help this year.

"We had a 250% increase in evictions this past year in Travis County alone, so the need has increased," Moncivais said.

With more families in need, Brown Santa is seeing fewer donations. He said inflation is one reason why.

"Our prices have increased as well as shipping prices have as well," he said.

Sarah Mittle is a behavioral scientist with Ipsos. She said with higher prices due to inflation, some people might choose to only buy for their families if money is tight or not buy gifts at all.