A Rutland organization that serves about 160 meals a day to people in need says it's trying to stay open despite a devastating loss of grant funding.
Ellie McGarry, executive director of Companions in Wholeness, says she and three other paid staff members are volunteering their time to keep the day shelter afloat.
She says too many people rely on their services to shut down.
"We partner with a lot of other community agencies who come in and serve our folks, so we provide more than just food," McGarry says. "We have lounge chairs where the folks that are out all night long walking the streets, they can come in and take a nap. We offer phone charging. We have free clothes for them. So we offer a lot of services to our neighbors who are outside."
Demand for their services has grown since the latest round of evictions from the state’s motel voucher program, McGarry says.
But $250,000 in funding they were hoping for did not materialize. She says that's due to state and federal cutbacks.
“It’s been very very difficult," McGarry says. "We care about the people we serve they’ve actually become more like family to us and therefore we are really hurt that we can’t continue in the manner that we have been.”
Starting next week, they’ll only be open three hours per day Monday through Thursday. And they'll serve one meal instead of two. A planned move to a larger location has been put on indefinite hold.
