Stepping Stones is asking for public donations of tents and tarps to help the local shelter compensate for being at full capacity.
There are currently 17 emergency beds at Stepping Stones, all of which are taken. That means the shelter is turning away people at the door.
Program director Marjie Hills said Wednesday the influx of people is typical for this time of year, and that the shelter tries to hand out tents, tarps and camping equipment when its beds are full.
That’s not an option now, since the shelter ran out of tents earlier this summer.
“Often it’s really nice if we can say, ‘Look, we don’t have space here but we can give you a tent and you can take this tent and find a place to camp,’” said Hills, who added the shelter doesn’t have a budget to purchase more tents.
“So that’s what we try to do at this time of the year. We’ve just gone right through all our tents and tarps and what we can provide for people to live outside.”
Donations can be dropped off 816 Vernon St., or by calling the shelter at 250-352-9876.