Is Dream Center something community is still interested in?

“We are in crisis mode,” said Shores, 32. “Every day has been a struggle, because every day something has been getting cut off.”

Shores said public support of the soup kitchen, which has been on the verge of financial collapse for the past few years, has dwindled significantly. She said only a handful of people — Celeste Davis, Steve Hightower, Bert Grimes, Deborah Patterson and others — are doing work and writing checks to keep the center afloat.

“There is virtually no support from the community anymore,” she said. “We may need to explore the question: Is this something the community is still interested in?”

Shores said she plans to do just that by reconnecting with the community, reassessing its needs and learning how the Dream Center can better serve residents.

For example, Shores is exploring turning the upstairs portion of the facility into a conference center that would be available for community meetings and activities. Some consideration is also being given to expanding services to seniors by delivering them meals on weekends, she said.

“We may find more support by finding different services to provide,” Shores said, noting she also wants to reach out to local Hispanics.

Shores and the Dream Center’s board of directors also are hoping to garner support through an “Affair to Remember” fundraiser that will be held May 7 at the Manchester Inn.

The dinner and dance will begin at 7 p.m. and feature music by Cincinnati artist Mira Raye. Tickets to the event are $45 and can be purchased at www.showclix.com (search under Feed the Hungry Project) or by calling (513) 365-1305.

Shores, who has English degrees from Miami University and the University of Dayton, has also become the Dream Center’s chief grant writer. Grants are vital to keeping the facility’s doors open and its programs functioning, she said. The Dream Center will offer its summer youth camp, themed “Minds and Matter,” June 1 through Aug. 11 for first- through sixth-graders. Registration will begin in May, Shores said.

An open house for the community also will be held in May at the Dream Center so residents can be made aware of all the changes.

Shores, whose position with the Dream Center is unpaid, said she’s committed to helping keep founder Louella Thompson’s dream alive.