NATCHEZ — With Thanksgiving now becoming a memory, the needs of Christmas are filling the air, and this year the need may be greater than ever.

Across town, those who run charitable organizations said the current economy has made for an environment where giving to the needy is more important than ever.

At the United Way, administrators said they have seen an increased volume of those in search of assistance in recent weeks.

Former United Way chair Maria Bowser, who still works with the organization, said the number of people looking for assistance is somewhat unsettling.

“It’ll break your heart, some of the things we’ve been hearing,” she said.

Also troubling is the trend Bowser has seen developing in past weeks.

The United Way is basically a service that collects and distributes funding to other charitable groups.

However, this year, Bowser said she has seen an increased number of people coming directly to the United Way looking for help.

While she said it’s not uncommon to have some go directly to the United Way for help, it’s the number of those doing it this year that makes her worried.

And Bowser said those coming to the United Way needing help are looking for assistance with just about everything.

“They need help with rent, utilities, food and even gifts,” she said. “And they’re not milking the system. They’re you and me who’ve fallen on hard times.”

Director of the local United Way Marsha Colson said the people she has been meeting that are looking for help are not those without a job or means of support — but the working class.

“Even those with jobs are worried” Colson said.

Colson said those with low-income jobs with two or three children to support are having a very difficult time making ends meet at this time of year.

One of the few silver linings in the situation is the current price of gas.

Colson said before its recent decline, the price of gas was becoming a major hardship for many families.

“That’s money families can’t spend on the things they need,” she said.

The Salvation Army’s service center manager Janet Trahern said she too has seen an increase in those needing extra help around the holidays.

Trahern said she believes the current economic situation is likely half of the reason she has been seeing an increase in those looking for help.

Trahern said since this time last year, she has seen the number of first-time clients grow.

“It’s a difficult time,” she said.

But the need for charity is not strictly limited to Natchez.

The Concordia Parish Council on Aging’s Executive Director Dorothy McDonald said a slow economy is also straining the elderly population she works with.

McDonald said many of the residents she helps are on a fixed income — which is very difficult to manage when the economy is lagging.

“Everything gets more expensive but the money they’re getting stays the same,” she said. “Prices don’t come down because you get old.”

And it’s those higher prices combined with job loss and other factors that are making this holiday season less cheerful for some.

Bowser urged anyone with the means to make a donation during the holiday season.

“It can make a difference,” she said.