LYNCHBURG, Va. – Amber McKerrow has been staying at Lynchburg's Salvation Army Center of Hope for a week.
"Right now, since I'm not working, I try to house laundry on a daily basis. I try to help them with donations-- any way that I could be of service because they are service to me," McKerrow said.
She and 87 other homeless people in the shelter are working to get back on their feet. But to help them in this process, Capt.Trey Jones said, the Salvation Army needs a lot of help. It didn't receive enough donations through the red kettle fundraiser this past winter, and now it's in a real bind.
"Those kettle dollars being down this season affects throughout the rest of year for the work that we do. So we're looking for other opportunities to increase some of that income in other ways," Jones, core officer for Salvation Army of Greater Lynchburg, said.
Officials said the organization is asking the community for help. It is also full, which is unusual for the Salvation Army at this time of year.
"Because of the vast need in the community right now and other space not being available to them, they're choosing to come to us instead," Jones said.
Salvation Army officials want the community to know that anything helps. But money, they said, helps keep food on the table.
"We're always looking for breakfast, and the cash also helps with the perishable items that we need to purchase on every day," Jones said.
If you'd like to donate go to http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/lynchburgva/ or visit the shelter located at 2211 Park Avenue, Lynchburg, Virginia.