With just a few dollars or a quick sweep of our homes, the community can help two vital organizations with Clark County.

The Clark County Homeless Coalition and Beacon of Hope Emergency Shelter are each asking for donations to continue their mission of helping the community’s homeless population.

Tuesday, the Clark County Homeless Coalition announced a summer collection drive, asking for donations of much-needed items at the shelter, located at 19 Wainscott Ave.

The Coalition is asking for laundry detergent, disinfectant cleaner, dryer sheets, paper towels, kitchen trash bangs, toilet paper, coffee, Clorox wipes, twin or queen blankets, sugar, rice, coffee, pillows, dishwater detergent, men’s socks, canned meat and canned soups.

The CCHC offers transitional housing for men, women and families at Wainscott Hall and offers case management and other services to all homeless individuals in the area.

The items can be dropped off at the CCHC office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 744-8733.

Additionally, the Beacon of Hope Emergency Shelter posted to Facebook Wednesday morning that the shelter is nearly out of some food items. According to the post, the shelter is in need of milk, sugar, coffee, coffee creamer, white bread, juice, tea bags, eggs, butter and hamburger buns.

The Beacon of Hope is a 24-7 emergency shelter serving men, women and children from Clark and surrounding counties. Residents receive meals throughout the day and other support services.

Donations can be dropped off at the shelter, located at 850 Bypass Road. For more information, call 644-5171.

Many of these are low-cost items that could be added to grocery lists with minimal impact. Additionally, some may be in our homes going unused. Many local businesses could help by conducting donation drives at their sites. Maybe they can offer casual Fridays in exchange for donations or ask for a corporate sponsorship.

These agencies offer tremendous support to a commonly underserved population. Not only do they provide shelter, but the agencies offer meals, case management, access to substance abuse counseling, job skills and life skils training and more.

If you can spare items, monetary donations or even time volunteering at either agency, we encourage it.

The work they do has a positive economic impact on our community, but both rely primarily on public support.