HOUSTON --

WHAS11

But with the closing bell on Wall Street still ringing in the ears of worried investors, doing the most good isn't as easy as it used to be.

“It's definitely a tough year.  Our donations are down, but the need the people have, especially in Houston, is up this year.  We've served five million people this year already just because of the hurricane,” said Juan Alanis, from the Salvation Army.

The five million people the organization has helped is a big jump from 2007.  Last year, they served only a hundred thousand in the Houston area.

But donations are also down.  In 2005, the year hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit, the Salvation Army raised nearly 400 million dollars for the fund.  This year, with Hurricane Ike, they were only able to raise 15 million.

Locally, monetary donations are down 6.2 percent.  Donations of clothing and furniture are down 25 percent, but more people are shopping at the Salvation Army's thrift stores.

“We count on the community to help us in changing lives.  The donations they give to us are turned into dollars to pay for facilities,” said Richard Watkins, Salvation Army store manager.

When times are tough, giving can be even tougher.

“You’ve got to dig deep in your heart.  It's all about the heart,” said Douglas Andreano, shopper.