This holiday season Whitfield County has 229 children in foster care, yet only 28 foster homes in which to place them. That means only “75 to 92 kids” can be placed here, said Debra Carter with the Whitfield Department of Family and Children Services.

“The other children go to group homes, therapeutic foster homes and foster homes in other counties,” she said. “The majority of children in our care are not in this county.”

But that — and the economic uncertainty surrounding this year’s holiday season — isn’t stopping Carter and two of her colleagues, Teresa Bredeson and Linda Wells, from continuing their Secret Santa program. Now in its 23rd year, the endeavor tries to see that foster kids are not forgotten during the Christmas season. And that includes the children sent outside Whitfield.

“This year, everybody’s worried about the economy,” said Bredeson. “So many people are out of work. It’s hard on everybody. A lot of our big sponsors (in the past) haven’t come through.”

She noted it’s harder to provide for older kids in foster care.

“Their clothes cost more, and most people like to shop for children,” she said. “Several companies have stepped up and started toy drives, but we also need toys especially for teens.”

The Secret Santa program will take donated toys, and foster children may also be “adopted” for Christmas giving by families, churches, civic groups and individuals.

A report released in September from the Giving USA Foundation found that historically, charitable giving has not decreased during tough economic times, including several recessions over the past 40 years. Representatives of area nonprofit agencies and ministries are hoping this proves true again, but are well aware that the Northwest Georgia carpet industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn, with many people losing their jobs due to cutbacks and plant closings.

“We are in a community crisis here,” said Sheila Reed, director of Harvest Outreach ministries. “Every community is not hit as hard as we are. We’re not as versatile as some communities, and there are a lot of people looking for jobs.”

Reed said in the last six months her storefront ministry at 207 E. Morris St. has tripled the number of meals it serves each day. Officials there are gearing up for their annual Thanksgiving Day dinner, to be held this year at the North Georgia Fairgrounds on Legion Drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Just last week, Seo’s Martial Arts of Dalton bought and donated 52 turkeys for the meal.

“We also have a lot of individuals and churches cooking cakes and casseroles and bringing them on Thanksgiving,” said Carolyn Marcus, who with her husband Herman has volunteered at Harvest Outreach for around a year now. The outreach expects to feed approximately 2,000 people on Thanksgiving and still needs one-gallon cans of green beans, corn and cranberry sauce. But they will take donations of smaller cans, Reed said.

Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus will be making a special trip down from Tennessee on Christmas Day, so the ministry is also accepting toys for children of all ages, plus socks, underwear and toboggans for adults. They ask that gifts be wrapped with a tag describing the contents on the outside.

Providence Ministries will also be hosting a Thanksgiving Day dinner from noon to 1:30 p.m., and will continue to serve into the afternoon. Last year the ministry fed around 600 people, but program coordinator Brian Croft said, “If the economy is any sign, that number should be higher.”

Providence Ministries has “not nailed down the times yet,” but will celebrate a traditional Christmas Day at its location at 711 S. Hamilton St. with food, singing and the reading of Christmas stories from the Bible.

“We normally give away toys,” Croft said, “but a lot of (carpet) mills that gave in the past aren’t giving. We’re not crying wolf yet, but the mills are laying people off. If any churches or civic groups can rally up a toy drive — unwrapped toys — we’d be glad to have help.”