‘Skater-Aid’ to benefit Code Blue shelter
Skatepark donation drive to collect much-needed items
LANSDALE >> This winter’s Code Blue shelter season appears to finally be over, and a local group of volunteers are already looking ahead to next winter.
Members of Lansdale’s skatepark community are planning a “SkaterAid” donation drive on May 22 to collect much-needed items, and one of Lansdale’s most recognizable figures will be there.
“We chose the Code Blue shelter because we wanted to ensure the community rallied together to prepare Trinity Lutheran for the colder months of the year, as they are in the midst of organizing collection efforts now, for the winter,” said organizer Ryan Weiss.
Weiss, a marketing manager with Round Guys Brewing, said he and Annie Christ were looking for a way to give back to the community. Reporter readers may remember Annie, a local drag queen whose storytime event at the Lansdale Public Library in early 2019 drew large crowds of both supporters and protesters, and prompted borough Mayor Garry Herbert to declare a borough ‘Inclusion Day’ afterward. Weiss said he and Christ saw the success of a food drive held at the skatepark for local nonprofit food pantry Manna on Main Street just before Thanksgiving, and wanted to try something similar for the shelter.
“The Thanksgiving drive is definitely an inspiration,” Weiss said.
The two reached out to the “Friends of the Lansdale Skatepark” user group and skater Dan Pancoast, who helped organize the Thanksgiving food drive, for a similar project. From noon to 4 p.m. on May 22, they’re calling it “SkaterAid,” and the skateboarders will be on hand at the skate park to collect donated items for the Code Blue shelter from anyone who drives up.
Items the shelter needs include backpacks, feminine hygiene products, ponchos, toiletries, to-go packs of hand wipes, socks, and laundry gift cards for Sudz Laundry, which is located at 124 E. Main Street in Lansdale. Donations will be given to and stored by Trinity Lutheran Church, located at Main Street and Valley Forge Road, which operates the shelter and provides a warm place to sleep on winter nights for those with no other place to stay.
“To maintain social distance precautions, this will be a drive-through only collection event. We’re asking that anyone donating place their items in their trunk, pull up and we will unload. Dan, Annie and I will be there lending a hand to unload,” Weiss said.
Anyone interested in learning more about the donation drive can do so by searching for “Lansdale Skater-Aid” on Facebook, and about the shelter itself by searching for “Code Blue Shelter - Lansdale PA.”
The winter just ended was a busy one for that shelter, councilman BJ Breish reported last week, giving a year-end recap for borough council.
“Approximately 80 unique volunteers stepped forward and put in over 900 hours to provide shelter to our community’s most vulnerable. This included many overnight shifts, meals, and snow storms to contend with,” he said.
In late December, organizers from Trinity found themselves in need of a new location due to COVID-19 safe distancing guidelines, and were able to successfully partner with Immanuel
Church on Welsh Road to host shelter nights there instead, a move that Breish said made a big difference for those in need.
“Since there were multiple rooms available in this facility, the shelter was able to accommodate male, female, and family needs safely, which was another first for the Trinity Code Blue shelter,” he said.
Highlights of the winter season included one volunteer walking 30 minutes during a peak snowstorm to help staff a shift, and dropoffs of donated items at Trinity for the shelter visitors. As he spoke to council, Breish showed photos of those donations, including decorated goodie bags and notes for those who received them.
“Kids made care packages with messages for the guests that I will never forget: things like, ‘You Matter to me,’ ‘Have a happy day,’ or ‘Smile! I thought of you today,’” he said.
Other volunteers brought home-cooked meals, premade PB&J sandwiches, basics like gloves, hats and socks, and a local chef made personal breakfasts for every guest each night — a total of 161 meals, Breish told council. Other organizations that helped included Manna on Main Street, which helped keep the shelter stocked with “shelf-stable” meals, and Clemens Uniforms which laundered over 300 sheets and blankets.
“On a few nights, the shelter even welcomed guests far and wide as the Norristown shelter hit capacity, and our shelter became known as the only shelter in miles that was able to shelter women and children,” he said.
“Let that sink in: There were snowstorm nights that Trinity Code Blue was the only option for warmth, for some women and children in our community,” he said.
As volunteers and organizers look ahead, they’re working to hone in on needs for next season, like additional space for women and families, Briesh told council. Year-end stats include a total of 40 Code Blue nights called by Montgomery County, 35 staffed at the shelter, 167 cots slept in by 29 unique guests, and an average of five guests per Code Blue night. Nine women used the shelter, a total of 286 volunteer shifts were filled, and 977 total volunteer hours spent by 80 unique volunteers — and only one positive COVID-19 test result from a guest for the entire season. Trinity’s shelter has been open for a total of 438 declared Code Blue events since 2009, with an average winter having 36 events.
“I wanted to thank all of the volunteers, once again, for a job well done,” Breish said.
Council President Denton Burnell added his own thanks on behalf of council to all of the volunteers, including Breish, who spent their evenings, mornings, and late-night hours at the shelter.
“Big thanks to all of those folks, for all the time and energy they gave,” he said.