NILES, Mich. – Local businesses in Downtown Niles opened their doors Saturday for Small Business Saturday.

Instead of asking the community to just shop for some good sales, those businesses asked for the community to donate non-perishable items to the Ferry Street Resource Center.

"This is the heart of who everybody is, it's the small towns so we want to keep that going," said Niles resident Jill Roberts.

Roberts spent the afternoon Christmas shopping in downtown Niles for Small Business Saturday.

But this shopping trip was more than just putting money back into her local community.

"If we keep everybody local we will actually get more of a core, you get back to the basics," says Roberts.

"It is important for the community to support our stores in order for them to be able to offer the good merchandise and the good prices," says Sandy Taylor of Bella’s Gifts & Memories.

Niles Styles owner, Christine Hoffman, coordinated with local businesses to participate in a food drive for a local charity, Ferry Street Resource Center.

“Keeping it local, helping our small community, so naturally we are going to try to help a local charity too," says Hoffman.

"These local stores, if they know that we are here to help the people to put the money back into shopping local or to feeding the local community it does help us to help them to keep getting networked together," says Rea Vinall, Services Coordinator at Ferry Street Resource Center.  

Those at the Ferry Street Resource Center say they are looking forward to business they can bring to downtown Niles through the services they provide to the community.

“If we weren't here, then people are going to eventually leave, they are going to find work or placement elsewhere,” says Vinall.

Ferry Street Resource Center helps about 400-500 people a month with general services.