The Food Bank for New York City faced a precarious situation heading into December.

The hunger-relief charity, which provides food to the needy throughout New York City, had seen its food donations drop by roughly 40 percent as food manufacturers and wholesalers took steps to reduce their food overruns to save money and as the recession gripped New York.

At the same time, demand for its services had jumped my more than 30 percent.

But the Food Bank for New York City was able to end 2008 much better than expected.

Cash donations totaled $8.9-million, nearly 12 percent more than in 2007.

How did the organization manage to make such a jump under such dire circumstances?

Brennen Jensen explains how in this video report:

For more on how charities fared during the year-end fund-raising season, read the Chronicle‘s special report.

How did your group fare during the year-end fund raising season? What worked — and what didn’t? Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.