The Whalan Lodge Trust took over the management of the rest-home in December, after previous operators Rodney and Lois Gilchrist told staff and residents it would close.
They said the business was no longer financially viable.
Whalan Lodge Trust chairman Hugh Cameron said at the time there were nine residents in the 14-bed rest-home.
''[Mr and Mrs Gilchrist] told residents and their families they were going to shut the doors before we got involved, so a number of residents that didn't need to leave did leave, so that left us with two residents when we took over,'' Mr Cameron said.
The trust is determined to keep the rest-home open but it ''urgently'' needs to build numbers back up.
The 2013 census figures show the population of Kurow to be 312, with 47.1% aged 60 or older.
Mr Cameron said the lodge's existence was vital to ''future-proof'' the town.
''At the present level of residency, we've only got a short lifespan,'' he said.
''If we could get another three or four [residents], we'd be across the line ... we'd stop the bleeding, so to speak.''
The lodge, originally the Kurow Maternity Home, is owned and maintained by the trust, established in 1984, but was previously leased out.
Five caregivers are employed at the rest-home but the seven members of the trust are managing it voluntarily.
Mr Cameron said the rest-home had played an important role in providing permanent and short-term care for elderly people from around the region.
''There has been a huge amount of community input and goodwill over a long period of time and we are not prepared to lose that,'' he said.
That included support to build a $100,000 lounge extension in 2010.
Meals are prepared by volunteers from the community and the lodge's commercial kitchen is also used to cook Meals On Wheels for the town.
There have been working bees to tidy the grounds and lodge, and firewood has been donated by local farmers and stacked by the Kurow Rugby Club.
''You can't really name the generosity of the village; it's been outstanding,'' he said.
Registered nurse Jane Crashley, who lives on site, said one of the attractions of the lodge was its atmosphere, in a rural setting.
''It's small, homely and individualised - residents don't get lost in the mix.
''I've fallen in love with the place. I wake up every morning and think 'how are we going to keep it going','' she said.
