ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Christian Care has been a resource in Rock Island for more than 100 years, and the shelter's executive director Frank Roe says the need has never left.
"The number of people that are requesting to come in is also on the rise," Roe said. "Yesterday, there were probably 50 people that are waiting to come in on the men's side. On the women's side, it's not as bad. There's probably 15 to 20 on the women's list."
According to Roe, the shelter serves nearly 40,000 meals each year. The facility is home to 42 beds and nearly a year and half ago, they renamed it to Martha's House, dedicated to women and children suffering from homelessness.
Leo Ruiz, a resident at Christian Care, says he heard about the shelter and signed up for their services. After a few weeks, he was taken in and provided with various services.
"I love these people, they're great," Ruiz said. "I got a roof over my head. It's warm at night. Thank God. I'm just happy to be here."
Roe said with temperatures getting colder, the shelter needs more winter clothing and food.
"We try to do our best even if somebody is just coming in off the streets and aren't really sure what we can do for him. We'll try our best to set him up with coats, hats, gloves. We don't have a very large area for a clothing room so we're really limited on what we can do," Roe said. "Hats, coats and gloves are always something that we can use so that we can help share with the community,"
If you are interested in making a donation to Christian Care, you can click here or call them at (309) 786-5734.
Below is a list of other Quad City resources for those experiencing homelessness:
DeLaCerda House in Rock Island: (309) 786-7386
The Salvation Army of Moline: (309) 764-2811
Humility Homes and Services, Inc. Davenport: (563) 322-8065
The Salvation Army of the Quad Cities and Davenport: (563) 324-4808
Bethany for Children and Families Moline: (309) 797-7700