A rally to try to save the Lawrence office of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services has been scheduled for Saturday.

The event will be at 9:30 a.m. at the South Park gazebo, 1141 Mass.

Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration has called for the closure of the office as a cost-cutting move. Advocates for the poor and people with disabilities say many will lose assistance and be endangered if the office is shut down.

More than 600 people attended a meeting on the issue Monday night at Plymouth Congregational Church, and more than 150 attended another meeting last Saturday at Lawrence Public Library.

Lawrence officials are hoping to persuade Brownback and SRS Secretary Robert Siedlecki Jr. to change their decision.

“Nearly 10,000 people in Lawrence depend upon SRS for critical services,” said Jacob Beaumont, an organizer of the event. “These are among our most vulnerable citizens — children, seniors, and the disabled — who are at risk of slipping through the cracks, should they not receive needed and often life-saving services from SRS,” he said.

Supporters of the SRS office also are asking people to sign a petition opposing the closure. The petition is available online at Facebook.com/SaveOurSRS.

Another public forum on the issue will be at 10 a.m. July 23 at the library, 707 Vt. This one is sponsored by the League of Women Voters, United Way of Douglas County and numerous other groups.