Code Blue in Bridgeton
By Albert B. Kelly
By Albert B. Kelly
Over the past couple of weeks, I have a greater appreciation of the basics; like a warm bed on a frigid night, a place to lay my head at the end of the day, the ability to have a hot meal and a home to live in. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate these things before; it’s just that over the last 2 weeks I’ve worked with various volunteers and local churches on implementing Code Blue and I’ve been reminded again- in a direct way- what life looks like when you lack these basics.
Life is hard on the street, harder than we know. Have you ever tried to sleep in 30 degree weather, perhaps with an empty stomach in whatever crevice you can find? Simply having the ability to go someplace warm, receive a hot meal and sleep knowing that you will be safe through the night…that’s no small thing. If you’ve always just had those basic things, it’s easy to take them for granted and it’s easy to sniff at those who don’t.
I realize that some, though not all, of the folks who call the street home have made some really bad decisions in life and that’s why they’re out there. I know that some peoples’ lives have unraveled because they’ve given themselves over to appetites that have come to rule them. For others not so much… because if you’ve ever lived pay check- to-paycheck, you know what it feels like to be one crisis away from “out on the street”.
And if you’ve been there, then you know how things can snowball; how quickly things can get away from you. Some people simply don’t have a family member to help and they don’t have a credit card to cover the crisis. They don’t have a “rainy day fund” because everything goes to just staying afloat and they have no margin for error. They’re swinging free over the floor without a net.
Some might wonder about “public assistance”. It’s there, but you better hope you can get to where it’s located and you better hope that you have the forms of ID needed to prove you exist. You better hope there’s no waiting list and you better hope you can give something resembling a permanent address because “under the bridge” or “behind the dumpster in the alley” is not going to get it done. You better hope a lot of things break your way in this process if you’re going to have a shot at stabilizing your life once the slide begins.
I say all that because whether we accept it or not, much of life hangs by extremely thin threads and we can’t always trace those threads back to know where or how the thing came undone; but once it has, whether it’s our own fault or not, it becomes enough just to have a warm place to sleep at night and a hot meal to fill your stomach.
That’s why Code Blue is so important for our most vulnerable citizens and it’s why I’m asking you to consider volunteering a few hours during a week or a month to help staff the Code Blue Warming Centers we have in Bridgeton.
Right now, through the kindnesses of Bethany Grace Community Church and Pastor Robin Weinstein, St. Andrews Church and Pastor Ellen Rutherford, and the Salvation Army and Captain Stephenson, we have 3 locations serving as warming centers for Code Blue.
Through the generosity of Inspira Health Network providing linens, Bethany Seventh Day Adventist Church, Glory Tabernacle, and a few other churches, businesses, and organizations we have been able to provide some cots, food, clothing and similar items for those who need them.
But we need volunteers to staff the 3 locations. We basically have 3 shifts; 6:00pm until 10:00pm, 10:00pm until 2:00am, and 2:00am until 6:00am. Not a lot happens, the people come, they eat a meal, they might talk for a few minutes and then they go to sleep. There’s no physical work to be done, but the staffing is simply to keep the warming centers open and oversee things so those in need can find a little relief. The goal is to have a few people per shift staffing the facilities.
I realize the nighttime hours are hard, but if you work an evening or night shift and you are up late, perhaps you might consider a shift or two per month. It might be just 4 hours that you can give, but it means a lot. The pastors I’ve mentioned can’t do it alone and the handful of people who’ve stepped in to help can’t constantly carry the burden. But if we have enough people assisting, no one has to spend too many evenings away from home.
For me, this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where faith gets real and where it takes on form and substance. As we approach holiday celebrations and observances of the season- enjoying the comfort and warmth of hearth and home-I would only ask that you consider giving the gift of your time to help out in the Code Blue program. There’s a lot we can’t do and Code Blue won’t fix all the underlying problems, but this is about taking care of the basics for fellow human beings…and that’s not nothin.
If you are willing to volunteer a little time to help in Bridgeton’s Code Blue program, you can call my office at (856) 455-3230 Ext 200 and leave your name and contact information or you can visit the link below
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Dsp4ipWz25GYlanPVKzWpW_X5MEjMajuyVeWW_W02y8/viewform and use the sign-up form. You will be contacted for follow-up.
Have a Blessed Christmas and Prosperous New Year
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| Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly thanks several Bridgeton Police Officers who took time while off-duty to collect and donate sleeping bags at Bethany Grace Church as part of Bridgeton's new Code Blue iniative. Picutered here with Mayor Kelly are Lt. M. Speranza, Sgt. T Speranza, Ptl. Marcano, Sgt. Santiago, Ptl Sawyers, Ptl Robbins, Ptl. Hovermann, and Ptl. Ringer |