Cots stand inside a room at Trinity Lutheran Church’s Luther Hall, awaiting men in need of a place to stay during Code Blue nights. (Photo courtesy of Mark Lanan)
Community groups and volunteers rally to keep emergency shelters stocked this winter
As cold weather sets in across Montgomery County, volunteers operating the Lansdale Code Blue shelters are asking for help from local residents and community groups to provide hot meals for guests seeking warmth and safety on freezing nights.
Code Blue shelters open when conditions pose a serious risk to individuals without adequate housing — usually when temperatures or wind chill drop to freezing — and provide emergency shelter, bedding, warm meals, and other basic necessities to people experiencing homelessness.
Lansdale has two such facilities: the long-standing men’s shelter at Trinity Lutheran Church at Welsh and Valley Forge roads, and a women’s shelter opened in recent seasons at the Wissahickon Park building along East Main Street, in collaboration with local partners and Montgomery County officials.
Organizers said hot meals are a critical part of nightly shelter operations. They are looking for donations of food that can serve approximately 30 men or 20 women per meal, delivered around 7:30 p.m. in disposable pans to the assigned shelter. If that timing doesn’t work for donors, prepared meals can be dropped off earlier for future use.
Suggested items include casseroles, pasta dishes, soups, chili, shepherd’s pie, sandwiches, or even store-bought pizzas and hoagies. Organizers ask that meals contain no pork and nothing overly spicy so they are suitable for all guests.
Contact Leslie Johnson, Lansdale Code Blue co-coordinator, by email at [email protected] or by phone/text at (267) 243-6531, if you are interested in contributing meals or seeking more information.
The Code Blue program in Lansdale is part of a broader network in Montgomery County led by Your Way Home, the county’s coordinated system for housing crisis response. Shelters activate during dangerous cold to ensure that individuals facing homelessness have a place to stay and meals through the night.
Community support — through meals, volunteering, and donations of supplies — helps keep these emergency services running on the coldest nights of the year.
A third shelter for those experiencing homelessness is poised to open at West Main Street/Welsh Road and North Wales Road on the border with Montgomery Township, with nearby access to SEPTA bus service.
