GEORGETOWN, Del. - Donations are being accepted by local organizations that are running low on necessities like bottled water.
In Georgetown, there are multiple organizations that help the homeless by providing clothes, shoes and food. A large percentage of these items are donated by those who live in the community.
Higher Ground Outreach is a local organization that serves as a drop in shelter for the homeless to get food, water and enjoy heat in the cold winter months.
In a recent Facebook post, Higher Ground Outreach shared they are running low on bottled water and welcome any donations.
Throughout the day, Lou Hernandez, Director at Higher Ground Outreach, was handing out water bottles, making sure the people he serves on a daily basis remain hydrated.
"It's a struggle day to day to get the things we need. We go through water, which is one of the major needs here. Each person drinks about 4 to 5 bottles a day," said Hernandez.
"We want them to leave with some water when they leave the building as well. So keeping water is difficult," he continued.
Jim Martin at The Shepherd's Office faces a similar situation. They serve meals every day at 4 p.m. As Martin says, every day is a new challenge.
"Sometimes, we run short. Sometimes we're only prepared to give out maybe 50 meals and we actually need 300 or 200 or 250. So we never really know how many guests we're going to have," said Martin.
With spring just around the corner, there's a need for new clothing along with some other items.
"We need bug spray if you want to donate, band-aids, first aid stuff. That's important as well, because we do a lot of that here when they come in and they are struggling or suffering with some sort of infection or bites. We try to give them first aid and then refer them to a medical team like Beebe Hospital's outreach team that's on the street," Hernandez shared.
Both organizations say they reach out to their community through Facebook.
"I always say 'well, I'll do a post on Facebook, I've got to get the word out that we need 100 more meals' and somehow it always works out," Martin explained.
He says he usually puts a message out on Facebook around 11 a.m.
Hernandez says HGO also helps people get important documents such as an ID, social security card and birth certificates. He says any and all monetary donations are welcomed.
"If people want to donate money, they can donate specifically allocated to that type of project. Say they want to donate $20 towards licensing and IDs, that's where it will be used."
Both organizations along with others in town also accept homemade meals.
Though the seasons are changing, the constant need for basic necessities remains the same.
