Students were in the SUB on Tuesday collecting donations for a shelter they said is in danger of being shut down - only it's not.
In late August, the Women's Community Association, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, needed $500,000 to remain open, or it would have to cut its capacity.
On Sept. 20, the shelter received a $200,000 match-to-the-dollar offer from the City of Albuquerque.
"At this point, we are on much more solid ground now than we were in August," said Michele Fuller, shelter director.
When the Daily Lobo told members of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars the shelter was not being shut down, they changed their approach to collecting donations. They stopped distributing fliers that stated the shelter might be shut down.
"We did not want to mislead people," said Ally Hudson, president of NSCS.
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The organization will be on campus again today from 11 a.m. to noon and on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to collect donations.
"We made sure that we made it clear that they weren't shutting down, but we still wanted to support the cause," Hudson said.
Fuller said multiple groups do fund-raisers for the shelter, and many times they don't learn about them until they are over.
Members are focusing on non-monetary donations and collected about 20 garbage bags full of items. The items will go to Second Chances, the shelter's second-hand store on Wednesday.
"It's always very thoughtful for people to donate clothing and other things," Fuller said.
Hudson said a woman saw what they were doing, went home and came back with three bags Wednesday night.
Students from the organization volunteered at the shelter during Spring Storm. They said that prompted them to do a separate community service project to benefit the shelter.
Hudson said regardless of whether the shelter is in danger of shutting down, it is important to the community.
The shelter is the largest in the state and can comfortably house 100 people. Volunteers prepare close to 100,000 meals a year, provide clothing and help people with legal advocacy, court accompaniment and employment or vocational training.
More than $200 has also been collected for the shelter.
Fuller said in 2003, there were 16 domestic-related homicides in the state, 14 of which were in Bernalillo County.
She said without this type of shelter, there would be "an increase in injuries to survivors and children, and I would believe you would see an increase in the homicide rate."
The cause is something that is important for the community to address all the time, Hudson said.
