More volunteers needed at NRG shelter

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - She was one of the first. Janna Webber couldn't wait to volunteer here as soon as she learned the county was turning NRG into a shelter.

"I kind of hopped into my car and I drove up to be here as quick as I could, I was probably one of the last ones to get a shirt,"  she said.

She says there were so many volunteers that first night it was hard to find something to do. That was then. This is now. She still puts in a couple of five hour shifts a week, but many of her fellow volunteers no longer do.  Why? It's simple says Frida Villalobos with BakerRipley, the organization running the shelter.

"It's just people going back to their normal lives and not having the time because now they're back on their regular schedules. Kids are going back to school. People have full time jobs," Villalobos said.

It's especially hard to fill the midnight to 9 a.m. period. To make it easier they've set the shifts at five hours long, and you can volunteer if you are 16 or older. But with 2,300 people still calling NRG home, the need remains and will for a while.

"There aren't nearly as many people as we need. Even though the need is still here," said Webber.

For more information on how to volunteer click here.