Bill Rae of Manna in Bangor is doing something he rarely does. He's asking for money. Bill will take to the media to appeal for food donations, warm clothes in the winter, and bottled water in the summer. But, right now, he says the organization needs money. A lot of it by the weekend, or they may have to close their doors.

It's been a tough year for non-profits around the state, with funding cuts and drops in donations. And Rae says, Manna is no exception. Most years, Bill told us, Manna collects between $70,000 and $80,000 in cash donations between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this year, those donations dropped to $53,000.

In addition, it's been what Rae termed a 'Murphy's Law' winter, with a lot of things going wrong in a short amount of time. The group's new plow was stolen right off the truck in the parking lot at the beginning of the winter. Now, the motor is blown in the group's van that they use to take residents to meetings and doctors' appointments. And the elevator is broken and needs to be fixed ASAP.

Rae told us he needs $18,000 by the weekend, or the organization that provides a soup kitchen, food pantry, mental health services, and drug rehab may have to close its doors. We're told that the group has received $5,000 so far, taking the total needed down to $13,000.

Folks interested in making donations can either drop the money off at Manna at 629 Main Street in Bangor, call in with a credit card at 990-2870, or log onto Manna's website to make an on-line donation. However you get the money to them, Rae wanted us to issue a huge 'Thank you!'

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