METROPOLIS, Ill. - "I don't know where I'd be without this place. I really don't," Christy Eleam said of Guardian Family Services in Metropolis.

Eleam can't say enough about the facility.

"This is really, it doesn't feel like a shelter. It's more like a home," she said.

The domestic violence shelter gives women and children a safe place to stay and helps them get back on their feet.  Director Rita Gower worries state budget cuts could cripple an already stressed agency. Guardian Family is still waiting for state money from last year.
    
"We got one check for six months, July 1 to December and we haven't received a check since," Gower said. "We're starting in the hole because we have not received money in six months."

No state money means the shelter is forced to depend on small grants and community donations to stay open.  Although staff members stay in contact with the state, there is still no word on when any state money will come in.     

And because groceries can easily cost the shelter hundreds of dollars a week, they are asking any gardeners to drop off any extras they have. Even a little bit can make a big difference.

Donated utensils, towels and other household goods helped Christy Eleam move out of the shelter yesterday. Still she keeps coming back to help those who gave her so much.

"I've made friends here that I'll have for a lifetime," she said. "Some of them, it's just like family."

Now Christy Eleam hopes support from your family can help many more.  The shelter is in desperate need of food, toiletries and cleaning supplies.

You can drop off donations at the Guardian Family Services Center, at 117 West 10th St. in Metropolis. For more information, call (618) 524-9922.