Jan Nowak has never seen the Niles Salvation Army’s food pantry as empty as it was Monday morning.

There was not enough food on the shelves, she said, to supply even one family for a week.

“I wept at my desk,” said Nowak, the organization’s director of caring ministries. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I thought we might need to close.”

Using social media and word of mouth, Nowak was able to secure enough donations to keep the pantry open that day and for the next two weeks.

After that, she is not certain.

That’s why Nowak is asking for the public’s help in the form of food or monetary donations. The Niles Salvation Army is 100-percent donor funded, so every donated cent or canned item goes directly to the pantry.

Money, Nowak said, often goes further than food, although both are graciously accepted.

“We didn’t close the doors Monday so that’s the good news, but we still need help,” she said.

The Salvation Army does not serve the same families each week. A family can only use the service a maximum of four times a year.

Each family is given a bag of groceries that will last one week.

Nowak said they helped 33 families last week and 28 the week before. Many are faces they’ve seen for the first time, she said.

And while the need continues to rise, Nowak said donations are down.

Food donated to the Army through the Letter Carriers Food Drive — the single biggest drive of the year — usually lasts until September or October.

This year, Nowak said it lasted until the end of June.

“Summer is always a lean time for pantries,” she said.

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at the pantry, which is located at 424 N. 15th St., Niles.