Hundreds of people who work at nonprofits or are served by them gathered at the state Capitol yesterday — with umbrellas in hand — to call on lawmakers to use the "rainy-day" fund to preserve or restore core social services.

"It's not just raining. It's not just pouring. We're practically drowning," said Barbara Kim Stanton, state director of AARP-Hawai'i, which helped organize the rally. She said the money in the rainy-day fund is needed to make sure the most vulnerable residents are still helped.

"The safety net is broken," she said.

Organizers estimated the crowd at about 700 people.

Many brought umbrellas, opening them throughout the rally to drive home the theme of the event: that social service programs are suffering and need money from the rainy day fund to get by. At several points during the rally, participants shouted, "It's raining, it's pouring, save our safety net."

The discussion of what to do with rainy day funds has been a heated one. Lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 1679, which would tap into rainy day funds for everything from senior centers to mental-health services. That measure got the support of rally goers yesterday.

But others, including the governor, have proposed to use the money for the budget shortfall.

There is $74 million in the rainy-day fund.

The rally comes as state-funded programs for needy families, the mentally ill and developmentally disabled have seen big cuts this fiscal year, and are more bracing for more.

Alex Santiago, executive director of PHOCUSED, a consortium of nonprofits, said the rainy-day fund was set up to protect social services during tough economic times.

"Rainy-day funds were meant to support the safety net," Santiago said. "We see the safety net being shredded right now."