A camping trip for local street-involved youth may be cancelled this summer because of a lack of community donations.

For the first time in 10 years, the Living Rock will cancel its trip for 25 youth if it can't raise the remainder of the costs. It needs about $1,600 to pay for transportation from Hamilton to the Pinery Provincial Park on the southern shore of Lake Huron.

About 18 youth who have signed up so far have been volunteering around the Living Rock to qualify for the trip, said Julie Conway, development manager.

They have been cooking, cleaning, doing chores and helping out with Thursday night's fashion show fundraiser for World Vision.

For the youth aged 13 to 25 who are served by the Rock, the three-day trip can be life changing, Conway said.

"For some youth, it's the first time they've gone camping. For others, it's three days of sobriety. We want them to have three days of rest."

The trip costs between $2,500 and $3,000. That includes about $500 in groceries, campsite expenses and $300 for incidentals such as ice, firewood, batteries and sunscreen.

But transportation is the big cost. Conway either hopes for donations to cover this, or that a transportation company will hear of the need and donate the service.

Donations have been down in general this year, she said.

"A lot of people are experiencing economic difficulty, and not-for-profits are the first in line to be affected by that," she said.

"We've had great sponsorships in the past, but things are just a little tighter for people."

The trip is scheduled for Aug. 24 to 26. Activities include hiking, campfire cooking, canoeing, kayaking and other team-building activities.

Anyone interested in donating can contact Conway at 905-528-7625 x250 or julie@livingrock.ca.