Robin’s Home is a nonprofit that specializes in serving veterans across Western Pennsylvania. Butler Eagle File Photo

A nonprofit is seeking donations to maintain the quality of living for several female veterans and their children across the county as winter sets in.

Robin’s Home, an organization built on empowering veterans to live stable lives throughout Western Pennsylvania, is in need of between $10,000 and $15,000 to repair the roof of the Butler home, where four women and four children reside.

Squirrels have breached the attic space of the home, putting the roof in a state of disrepair and discouraging the occupants and executive director Mary Chitwood.

“Because it’s such a small job, I can’t get anyone out there to just patch the hole to get the squirrels out,” she said. “During those evaluations, we knew at some point the roof would have to be redone,” she said. “We thought we had a little bit more time than what we really did.”

Earlier this month, the organization started a campaign on Givebutter, a nonprofit fundraising platform. With no real promotion on social media to this point, it has raised $325 from two supporters.

While Chitwood said the organization receives grants at varying points throughout the year, they typically go toward funding essential needs, and they stretch only so far when it comes to financially backing all of their programs.

“We get grants, but those grants are used to maintain our food pantry and other things that we provide to the veteran at no cost,” she said. “There’s a lot of stuff that we don’t have funding for where we have to fundraise to be able to continue bridging those gaps and services that veterans don’t have. So the roof is a disappointment. It’s really frustrating to have that issue.”

In addition to purchasing the sanctuary home in 2017, the organization focuses on managing the Veterans HEART Resource Center located in Butler and expanding its peer support services program.

“Through our resource center, we’ve served over 300 veterans since we’ve opened,” Chitwood said. “Our peer program, we’ve grown it and are getting ready to hire a veteran next month, actually. We’re sending him to become a certified peer specialist.”

Chitwood and her team are in the midst of planning for the nonprofit’s first Casino Night Fundraiser on March 22 at the Butler Country Club.

For more information on Robin’s Home and how to donate — including materials for the new roof — contact Chitwood at mary@robinshome.us or call 724-453-4644.