LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Lexington non-profit is working to help men who are experiencing homelessness get back on their feet during this pandemic. Like many non-profits this year, the Iron Bridge Woodshop has had trouble raising funds.

Robert Littrell, the executive director of Six Treasure Ministries says with the pandemic, it’s more important than ever for Iron Bridge to continue helping the homeless. 

“We have the shower and we have a washer and dryer upstairs now and yesterday during the whole session you know, we had people in the shower, people washing clothes, drying clothes and that sort of thing. It's eased up a little bit, but, you know, kind of in the thick of COVID there was no place for these guys to go at all.” Littrell said.

A few days a week, homeless men can come volunteer at the Iron Bridge Woodshop and create woodwork pieces for the organization to sell. In exchange for volunteering, the men have access to showers, a washer, and dryers to clean their clothes as well as a home-cooked meal when their shift is over. 

With COVID-19, the Iron Bridge Woodshop has lost many of its local partners, causing them to struggle with raising enough funds to keep their doors open. 

“Sales have just almost gone to zero because a couple of shops that we were selling in closed and some did not reopen. And then of course just our word of mouth sales and that sort of thing just went down,” Littrell said.

Litrell and his wife Leslie are hosting a big holiday sale this year where all the proceeds will go to the non-profits they are involved in. The proceeds from the woodwork pieces will go to the Iron Bridge Woodshop to help keep the lights on and the showers running. Leslie Littrell will also be selling products from her non-profit called Sadie Shares and the money will go to school in India that will help children break the cycle of poverty.  

“The money helps offset some of our costs. Everyone's a volunteer, whether they are homeless, formerly homeless, or just some of our people that volunteer. We use that money to go back into our program. So if one of the guys needs a bus pass we're able to provide that, if they need food. Sometimes we do respite care for those who've been in the hospital,” Leslie Littrell said.

The holiday sale will be held at the Iron Bridge Woodshop on Saturday, November 7 at 941 National Ave. Suite 140 from 12 p.m.-6 p.m.