Community Helping Hands has been on the front lines of Jamestown’s fight against poverty for more than two decades.

It may not be able to continue serving from its Gateway Center location much longer. That would be a shame. Community Helping Hands provides clothes, household items and furniture to clients sent by churches, other non-profits and county officials. Donations received by the community were sent back into the community to lend a helping hand to those who could sorely use one.

“The list of reasons why CHH should not exist is long – the huge, old warehouse building that is costly and difficult to maintain, people drop off unusable items that CHH then has to dispose of, vandals cause damage that has to be repaired, the Lofts Housing Project continues to be an unfunded dream – the list is endless,” agency officials wrote to The Post-Journal. “The list of reasons why CHH must exist is also long – clients depend on CHH for needs unmet by any other resource in the area, simple work offers struggling adults and youth opportunities to learn skills and develop relationships, affordable shopping brings a sense of normalcy to a chaotic life, and most of all, caring people listen and offer a helping hand.”

The nonprofit’s board has, we’re sure, been doing some soul-searching over the past several months. Those who want to help Community Helping Hands can do so by sending checks to Community Helping Hands, 31 Water St., Jamestown, NY 14701 or at chhny.org and clicking on donate.

If the community comes through to help Community Helping Hands through this moment of need, we as a community need to figure out how best to best help those dealing with poverty and each non-profit’s role in the support system we’ve created over the years. The need in Jamestown has never been greater. The fight for community support has never been tougher, either, as new organizations spring up to meet new needs. Limited resources isn’t just a government problem – it’s a problem for many non-profits too.

It’s heartbreaking to see people slip through the cracks. It’s troubling to see agencies trying to help slipping through the cracks too.