After a complicated legal situation regarding the church, they had been partnering with St. Paul's Lutheran Church, which answered the call and provided a designated area for the organization to operate in.

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Last spring, the Shemilah Community Outreach Center put out an urgent call for a new facility to operate in. After a complicated legal situation regarding the church, they had been partnering with St. Paul's Lutheran Church, which answered the call and provided a designated area for the organization to operate in. 

The partnership has allowed Shemilah Outreach Center Executive Director Shemuel Sanders to cut down on operating costs. But Sanders said they are in desperate need of help. 

"At this time, all of our funds have been cut, so it's been really hard, it's been tough," Sanders said. "We've had to cut a lot of staff ... we had to cut down some days. It's just been a struggle to stay open." 

Sanders explained that last year, the organization's budget was $270,000. That was funded largely based on grants and certain state program requirements. 

Parents don't pay anything for programs through Shemilah Outreach. Rides to school, meals, tutoring and peer support are all provided free of charge. That includes their summer programming, which generally serves 70 children. 

"They are here to have people love them and show them that there's more than just their parents that care for them," said Rob Goodwin, a senior pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. "It's a safe place to go that keeps them out of the community where they can get involved in things that would not be beneficial for them." 

Goodwin and St Paul's have established a dedicated fund for Shemilah Community Outreach Center. It allows people to give cash or checks to the church in a secure way, while dispersing all of that money directly to Shemilah Outreach. 

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