Lansdale's code blue shelter calls for volunteers Saturday night
LANSDALE — Winter-like chills this week have brought the return of Lansdale's Code Blue shelter .
Local organizers have declared a Code Blue night effective Saturday, Nov. 15, with the shelter open from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. Sunday morning.
"The shelter cannot open whiteout all shifts filled," said organizers Mark Lanan and Leslie Johnson in a mass message to followers.
Located at Trinity Lutheran Church at 1000 W. Main Street in Lansdale, the area's volunteer Code Blue shelter has operated for over a decade on cold nights, for anyone who needs a place to stay when temperatures drop into the danger zone. For the 2022-23 winter, after a permanent homeless shelter in Norristown was closed in 2022 , the Lansdale Code Blue shelter was open for a total of 48 nights, and welcomed 53 different guests, with an average of 11 guests per evening the shelter was open, the organizers told council in 2023 ; for the '23-24 winter the shelter hosted a total of 98 unique guests during a total of 86 Code Blue declarations, more nights than any season since 2009, and achieved another high since that year by using a total of 1,371 cots during those nights.
Lansdale Code Blue shelter reports on 2023-24 stats
Training sessions started in October for volunteers interested in working the shelter, and several local supermarkets and shops have donated food to the shelter, including Wegman's, Grocery Outlet, Garden of Health, and Manhattan Bagel, per organizers.
Volunteers can help with the intake shift from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., a first overnight shift from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., a second overnight shift from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., and/or the breakfast shift from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. Those who can't put in the hours can help via donations: items sought for those in need include wool socks, fleece hats, long johns, gloves, hand warmers, wool blend scarves, coats, ponchos, umbrellas, and prepackaged food such as energy bars, packs of crackers, or juice boxes; a full list of items is available on the shelter's Facebook page , and donations can be made via Amazon.com with shipping directly to the church.
Anyone interested in assisting can call Lanan at (215) 272-4979, contact or follow "Code Blue Shelter – Lansdale, PA" on Facebook for more information.
