These are tough times for Hawai'i charities, with demands for their services sharply up in the brutal economy at the same time that neither state government nor individual donors can afford their usual support as they struggle to make ends meet.

In just one sign of how many people are hurting as the holiday season begins, all of the service agencies that serve Thanksgiving meals reported that crowds were up significantly this year.

This is in line with reports from the Hawai'i Foodbank that it's feeding 30 percent more people this year than in the past, while its supplies are at near-record lows with donations from food manufacturers down 21 percent.

Hawai'i people are a generous bunch, the Hawai'i Community Foundation said in a recent report. Giving remains steady since the group's last survey in 2001, with 92 percent of us still giving to nonprofits even in the recession.

But more people are giving by means other than cash, and religious organizations increased their share of the cash contributions from 33 percent to 53 percent while human services nonprofits got 15 percent of the cash donations, half of their share in 2001. These are the same organizations that have had their state grants all but cut off as the budget deficit grows.

The Institute for Human Services, which shelters the homeless, is typical of the trend, with the average cash gift down 20 percent this year while volunteering is up.

The Aloha United Way, which like any charity raises most of its money between October and January, reports cash donations are down about 10 percent from last year.

"It does seem the same number of people are giving, but they are giving in smaller amounts," said Susan Doyle, executive director of AUW. "People are thinking longer and harder about their own giving. They've got to think first about their own households."

All of this information provided inspiration as my wife and I discussed our 2009 charitable giving over the weekend.

Two of the wage earners in our household have taken pay cuts, and like everybody else, our retirement nest egg and the value of our house are down.

But we're still generally doing well and thankful that we're not seriously hurting like so many other families in Hawai'i. We decided it was important to give as much as we can while we still are able.

We had planned to cut back on our AUW contribution this year as a result of a larger than usual donation to another organization earlier in the year, but decided the community need is great and pledged the same amount as last year.

We also increased donations to individual agencies as much as we could, favoring local organizations that serve the immediate needs of those hurting the most such as Helping Hands Hawai'i, the Hawai'i Foodbank and Lanakila Meals on Wheels.

My wife is out shopping a lot during the holidays and can't pass a Salvation Army kettle without dropping something in. Toys For Tots is another effort we find especially worthy this time of year.

We can't afford to give enough individually to solve any of the daunting problems facing so many people in Hawai'i, but there's great satisfaction in being part of the broad community effort to help.

If everybody keeps giving what we can of our money and time, we'll all come out of the other end of this recession better off spiritually as well as materially.

I keep saying it every year and every year I believe it more: You serve yourself best by serving others first.