In about a month, Mahoning County Salvation Army will downsize its four area locations into two.

"We are trying to consolidate back into Glenwood, in order to save the money that the public gives to us to provide the services that we do in the County.", says Major James Foley.

The Austintown Corps on Mahoning Avenue will shut down in the process.  Difficult news for all the patrons and volunteers who call that Corps home.

"This is my life, I live in Lake Milton, I live by myself, and this is what's kept me going, to be able to come here and be with the people, and helping the food pantry people and being with this, because they're my new family.", says Social Coordinator Sharon Merrill who volunteers in Austintown.

Like many other people and businesses, high gas prices have hit the Salvation Army hard, making it just too expensive to transport people out to the Austintown Corps for programs and services.  Major Foley says,

"They do more than 100 miles a day to pick up people and bring them to the Austintown site."

And donations are down.  Many donors feel the pinch in their pockets as well, and Major Foley says people who normally give around Christmas time tend to forget about the Salvation Army during the spring and summer months.

"We do sometimes up to 400 hot meals a day at our one site, where we feed people right there on the site.  1,000 food bags a month go out of our buildings, and we do this year round.", says Major Foley.

The Army will still bring in revenue from its new thrift store that will stay open on Mahoning.  And no services will be cut-- they'll just be run out of another location.  Major Foley says they'll start moving their offices from Wickliffe Presbyterian Church into the original Salvation Army Corps on Glenwood Avenue the week of June 16th.