The Shepherd’s House is desperately seeking donations of food, clothing, toiletries and money so it can keep serving more than 2,000 free meals per month to local homeless men, women and children in need.

“At this point, we’re not able to meet the demands,” Program Director Cash Lowe said. “It breaks my heart when we have to turn people away and say we’re full.”

The Shepherd’s House is a nonprofit, faith-based program that provides meals and emergency services — such as clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags, boots and backpacks — for those who need short-term care. The organization provides overnight shelter for men and has a long-term program for up to 30 homeless men that helps teach life skills to get them off the streets.

“Our long-term program is a nine-month to two-year program,” said Curt Floski, program CEO. “We just graduated six residents in February, and five of them now have jobs. We have one graduate who’s attending community college.”

The shelter is located on Northeast Division Street near Revere Avenue. It offers breakfast, lunch and dinner to anyone who needs it. It also offer Sunday worship services.

Floski said the program typically sees a decline in donations in the spring but said donations are lower than usual and needs are higher than usual.

“We are experiencing a slump in donations,” he said. “We are receiving around half of what we need to sustain operations.”

More people are requesting emergency shelter and free meals than Lowe has seen in the two years he’s worked at The Shepherd’s House.

“I don’t know why it is, but we’re seeing up to 80 people coming in for each meal,” he said. “We’re getting full at night now and seeing more need than we did in the winter.”

The program was $14,000 short of its approximately $35,000 monthly operating budget in April, Floski said. This month, two local families donated $7,500 apiece, and Floski said the program hopes, through smaller community donations, to come up with another $15,000.

“There are a number of ways people can donate, and we’ll take pretty much anything that’s in good shape,” Floski said. “We need food, clothing, towels, tents, boots and backpacks.”

The Shepherd’s House often sees more children coming in with their parents as spring turns into summer and schools let out, but Cash said they often see a reduction in adults needing emergency services during that same time.

“As temporary work comes available in the summer we usually see about 15 to 30 percent leave,” Lowe said. “As it gets warmer some would just rather spend their time in a tent and a sleeping bag.”

Lowe said the shelter would like to be able to offer more beds and more counselors, but the funds aren’t there now.

Even though The Shepherd’s House is underfunded, it’s not going to close its doors.

“We’re committed to this community, though we’re doing it on a shoestring now,” he said. “But we’re not going anywhere.”

To donate to The Shepherd’s House, call 541-388-2096.