SAN ANTONIO – Five siblings who spent time at The Children’s Shelter in the 1970s returned Friday to give back to the place that saw them through hard times.

The Lawson family said they’re thankful for what the center did for them, providing for them when their mentally ill mother couldn’t.

Now, as adults in their 50s, they donated what they could, which totaled to more than $11,000.

“We want the children to feel what we felt. We felt safety here. We felt loved. We felt full, you know, in our bellies because of the food,” Gail Lawson Menefee said.

The shelter said the donation will go toward feeding and clothing the children it serves.