OKLAHOMA CITY —

A local family justice center providing services for Oklahomans experiencing domestic violence said they’ve seen a record number of people this summer.

Women or families fleeing an abusive home come to Palomar to grab necessities like food, but the center is seeing a higher number of families needing help this summer and making it difficult to keep the shelves stocked.

“We’re on track for this to be our busiest summer ever,” said Anden Bull, chief operating officer for Palomar.

Palomar has served 2,000 Oklahomans experiencing abuse just this summer. They expect the number to swell to 6,000 by the end of the year.

“We’re number one in the country for domestic violence, so our numbers continue to grow to reflect how serious of a problem domestic violence is in our state,” Bull said.

The high demand has left their pantry shelves dry.

“We’ve had a hard time stocking our shelves this summer,” said Brenda Hernandez, with Palomar.

Inside the center is a shop, with clothing, diapers, hygiene products and food.

“Sometimes that can look like mac and cheese or sometimes like ramen or chips, granola bars- things like that,” Hernandez said.

The center is asking the community to help them help others by donating items they can’t keep stocked, like non-perishables, pepper spray and basic cleaning supplies.

“A lot of times people are fleeing and have nothing or are setting up a new home, so those basic cleaning supplies are essential,” Bull said.