This was written by one of our overnight volunteers that has been faithful over the seasons. We are pleased to share her thoughts here so you can better understand a piece of our ministry.

If you’re wondering what to expect as an overnight volunteer for a Code Purple women’s shelter, I’m happy to share my typical experience.

 

Women typically arrive at the shelter at about 8:45 PM and “regulars” know the routine; they immediately prepare for “bed” on their air mattresses. There are two bathrooms available and occasionally someone will ask for a toiletry item from the nearby supply room.  A guest who is there for the first time is provided with an air mattress, linens, toiletries and other supplies (as needed) and brief instructions as to the layout and expectations. (Lights out at 10, on at 7 am, no leaving the building, & morning chores.) The guests tend to be tired, quiet, private, cooperative and appreciative.  Of course there have been a few rare exceptions, but nothing that was unmanageable! Most nights the guests sleep quietly without waking/interruptions for the volunteer.

 

In the morning the ladies prepare to leave – taking all of their belongings with them.  Some leave early to go to a job while others await transportation to the Cross Building or the ACE Center.  They have a list of simple chores (wiping down bathrooms, cleaning coffee pot, taking out trash, vacuuming (when needed) which they do willingly. The volunteer adjusts the heat, turns off lights, and departs the building by about 7:50 am. I have always helped transport women back to Seaford, which makes sense logistically, and this is often the best opportunity to converse with the women.

 

When I began to volunteer it was my hope to have regular opportunities to pray, talk, and get to know the ladies, but that has been a slow process.  I always pray for the Holy Spirit’s leading as to when to attempt communicating beyond the superficial.  There have been a few meaningful opportunities to share scripture and the gospel and pray together, but that has not been the norm.

 

Staying at the shelter, for me, is not easy, convenient, or comfortable, but it’s worth it. It is a stretching/growing experience, and God’s grace is always sufficient!  I have found there is no greater joy than being in the will of God and answering his Call to share the love, grace, and mercy of Christ (which He has lavished on me!) with others in our community.  My prayer is that what feels like a sacrifice now will bear eternal fruit for His kingdom.

We still have a HUGE need for overnight volunteers! Anyone interested in helping will be trained on the job. You may stay your first night with a seasoned volunteer if needed. Please take a look at the following information and let us know if you can fill in on any of the days needed. Even if you can only do a couple days a month, please sign up for those days online.

Milford Nazarene is still in need of female overnight volunteers for every other Friday night, some Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.                            Milford Avenue is still in need male volunteers for some Fridays and Mondays and any other blank spot on the calendar. Please fill out an online volunteer form here Volunteer Registration Form. Here is the link to sign up on the calendar. Milford Calendars.

Seaford: St. Luke’s is still in need of male overnight volunteers on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays.                                                                                                                          Bridgeville: Gateway Fellowship still needs female overnight volunteers on Fridays, every other Monday, some Wednesdays and some Thursdays. Please fill out a volunteer form here Volunteer Registration Form. Here is the link to sign up on the calendar. Seaford Area Calendars

Bethany: Stone House is still in need of lots of overnight female volunteers. We haven’t opened in that area for lack of them. Please contact us at codepurplesussexcounty@gmail.com to let us know what days that you have available so we can plug you into the schedule.

Laurel Nazarene will open January 1st and is still looking for 2 male overnight volunteers for Wednesday nights. Please fill out a volunteer form here Volunteer Registration Form. Please email us at codepurplesussexcounty@gmail.com to let us know if you can help us!

Georgetown Presbyterian operates as a partnership. We are trying to build up their volunteer base at this time. They are open regardless of volunteers but we would love to see the community get more involved. Please fill out a volunteer form here Volunteer Registration Form. Here is the link to sign up on the calendar Georgetown Calendar.

Delmar is not struggling like the other shelters but we welcome the extra help so we don’t burn out any one person. Please fill out a volunteer form here Volunteer Registration Form. Here is a link to sign up on the calendar Delmar Calendar.

Due to a shortage in overnight help, we will not be able to open the shelters in Milford tonight! They will need to go to Seaford or Bridgeville instead. We have many nights that still need coverage. Please consider helping us stay open at all of our shelters this season!

Click here for more information on volunteering! Volunteer Info

We see that the night time temps are going to be very low until Dec 15th which is the beginning of our nightly openings without regard to temps. So with that in mind, we are calling Code Purple active until March 15th as of Tuesday 12/4! We will be open every night in Seaford, Bridgeville, Laurel (starting Jan 1st), Delmar, Milford, and Georgetown. (Note: Bethany is on hold until more volunteers can be found to stay overnight.) Here is a list of shelters and who they serve. Shelter Info

Please consider helping us by staying overnight at a shelter near you. We need all hands on deck to be open the next 102 days at 8 shelters! We can not open a shelter without overnight volunteers. Check out our volunteer page that explains all the volunteer spots, our online volunteer form, and link to the calendars for signing up! Volunteer Info

Please email us at codepurplesussexcounty@gmail.com for any further questions. We are so thankful for all of the support that we receive from the community. You guys are awesome!

If you are experiencing homelessness and need shelter, please call our hotline at 302-519-0024.

We are pleased to announce that we will have some shelters available starting Monday night! We don’t have enough volunteers to open every site but hopefully, people will start signing up soon that we can provide safety and warmth each night this winter.

Milford: Dinner will be held at 7pm at Congregation of the Most High Yahveh located at 9 S.E. 2nd Street, Milford, DE 19963. Then the ladies will go to Milford Nazarene ( 11 Salevan, Milford, DE 19963) and the men to Milford Avenue (20 N Church Street, Milford, DE 19963) to sleep for the night.

Delmar: 7pm at Renovate Church (800 E. East Street, Delmar, MD 21875). Dinner is provided on site.

Seaford: Dinner will be held at 7pm at The CROSS Building: 703 East King St., Seaford, DE 19973.  The ladies will go to Gateway Fellowship (8110 Cannon RD, Bridgeville, DE 19933) and the men will go to St Luke’s Parish Hall (202 N North Street, Seaford, DE 19973).

Georgetown Presbyterian: 203 N Bedford Street
Georgetown, DE 19947 will open at 9pm with a light dinner provided.

Click here for a complete list of shelters Shelter List.

We are in need of many more overnight volunteers. It isn’t looking like we can open each shelter each night. Please consider giving us a few nights of your month! Click here to fill out a volunteer form. Volunteer Form. Check out our calendars here and sign up for any day that you would like to help us! Volunteer Calendars.

Code Purple Sussex County will begin Monday night! Unfortunately, we do not have enough overnight volunteers to cover all the nights. That’s the main reason that we haven’t opened any earlier than when the online calendar starts. PLEASE consider giving a bit of your time to help at one of our shelters. Remember the buddy challenge, if you want to have a friend stay with you then you won’t have to stay alone. Anyone who went to a training, please go and sign up for the night that you specified on your volunteer forms. We don’t have a volunteer coordinator so that would be very helpful to us. If you did not make it to a training, then we will train you on the job. Just fill out this form Online Volunteer Form and it will be emailed directly to us. Then go to our  Volunteer Site Calendars and fill in the days that you would like to volunteer! Contact us via email at codepurplesussexcounty@gmail.com if you have any questions.

There are many emotions that bombard us as the beginning of the season approaches but excitement supersedes them all! We love being able to provide a safe sanctuary for those with no place to call home. We do depend on the community to help us achieve our goals for the winter so we are here to update you as well as ask for further assistance.

We will be opening up for ON CALL nights starting November 25th. We are still waiting on some supplies to be delivered. We also still need the community to donate all the items found on this list. Donation PDF  The addition of four new shelters has added to the amount of donations that we need. We are a non-profit, volunteer run organization therefore everything that we receive goes straight to the needs of those we serve. We do have a donation coordinator this year. Yay! You can reach Amanda Mitchell at codepurplesussexcounty@gmail.com or call 302-632-8180.

We also have A LOT of spots to fill on the sign up calendar for each site. We had eight training events but we know not everyone was able to make it to one. If you still want to volunteer, then please fill out a volunteer form here Volunteer Form and it will be sent to us via email. We will also provide you with on the job training. We are in desperate need of overnight volunteers. That is the one spot that we have to fill or we will not open the shelter. Please consider staying once a week or once every other week. We have our Bring a Buddy Challenge. You can read all about that here Bring a Buddy Challenge. This makes it possible for everyone to have a partner to stay with and helps alleviate some fears that volunteers may have when they first start helping. Here is the link to our handy dandy sign up calendars all divided up by towns. Volunteer Sign Up Calendars

Our Director, Nikki, would love to come and speak to your church or organization so they can hear how Code Purple changes lives as well as how they can become involved in being a part of that change. Please email us with any further questions at codepurplesussexcounty@gmail.com. We can not do it without your help! Please spread the word and also consider being apart of our ministry. Trust us, you will be the one blessed.

The Code Purple Sussex County Team!

We are very busy cleaning, sorting, arranging, meeting, and setting up for the new season! The addition of four new sites has been a huge blessing! We will be able to serve more guests this winter which means Code Purple needs more help from YOU in the community! Remember, we are a 100% volunteer and donation based ministry that wouldn’t be possible without your help. We have several different opportunities for you to attend a training before the start of the Code Purple season. (You must attend a training in order to help at any of our locations. Each training will teach the same information so you only need to complete it one time.) Please click on one of the Face Book event links below to let us know which one you will be attending. Can’t wait to see you there!!

October 15th
Bridgeville Training

October 20th
Delmar Training

October 22nd
Georgetown Training

October 24th
Milford Training

October 29th
Laurel Training #1

November 1st
Seaford Training

November 5th
Bethany Training

November 6th
Laurel Training #2