Do charities need government support?

I recently rediscovered a truly shocking Times article from 2009, by Monique Bateman, director of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children's Fund:

We understand that local authority budgets are tight and that if a charity is willing to help them to fulfil a role, this enables them to put more money into other areas.

Surely, though, during a recession, when help is needed to continue providing the support, they or the Government should step in to help these families, or at least to provide funds to charities such as ours to enable us to continue our work?

There is simply not enough aid available for charities fighting desperately to keep up their levels of support despite an increase in demand and a decrease in donations.

I therefore call for help, not just from the Government but from local authorities and, where possible, the public. It may sound a cliché, but we are now in a time when every penny donated to charities really does count.

I'm sure she means well, but it's disturbing that she draws no distinction between true charity (the freely-given donations of individuals) and 'government' funding (the redistribution of confiscated wealth).