MILLSBORO — There’s additional warmth and comfort at cold-weather shelters in southern Delaware, thanks to Rotary International.
Acting on its “Service Above Self” motto, Rotary clubs in Sussex County teamed to supply additional comfort for the homeless through Code Purple Sussex County empowered by Love INC of Mid-Delmarva.
Recently, the Lewes-Rehoboth, Southern Sussex, Long Neck Morning, Nanticoke-Seaford, Rehoboth Sunrise and Georgetown-Millsboro Rotary Clubs presented over $5,000 worth of shelter supplies to the Code Purple shelters of Sussex County.
The donation was funded by a District 7630 Rotary Grant.
“We all pay dues to Rotary and make donations to the Rotary Foundation. Those go for the overall operation of Rotary and projects throughout the world,” said Ray Bryant, former president and current immediate past president of the Georgetown-Millsboro Rotary. “But then they give a portion of that back every year to each local district. And then local clubs can apply to that for a grant.”
Grant ground rules are that $5,000 is typically the most a club or clubs collectively can get. “And you have to pay 20 percent. So, we’d owe $1,000. We got all the clubs to sign on because if you have a multi-club project, the greater chances they are going to fund it,” Mr. Bryant said. “We ended up getting around $5,400.”
Susan Kent, Love INC. Executive Director, was almost at a loss for words.
“There are not enough words to thank the Sussex County Rotary Clubs for the investment they made in this year’s Code Purple season,” said Ms. Kent. “There are specific supplies that we use each season that are costly and wear-out easily because of the use they get, supplying a place for local homeless to sleep. While we are thankful for the entire communities’ support and all they do, it’s a true blessing to receive the needed supplies covered this year by Sussex County Rotary Clubs. Not only did they give generously but also members gave of their time and spend nights at shelters to oversee the shelters.”
The Rotary District 7630 Grant secured by the Sussex County Rotary Clubs provided: 30 Kwick Cots, 23 Airbeds, 120 flat sheets, 37 thermal blankets and almost 500 pairs of wool socks – the No. 1 requested item in homeless shelters. These supplies help the homeless make it through the winter months.
As a club, Georgetown-Millsboro Rotary has been “supporting the Presbyterian Church in Georgetown for years, in terms of money to literally keep the lights on when they had homeless there,” Mr. Bryant said. “We provided water and snacks, and socks and things to help keep it going.”
All Code Purple shelters except for the Cape Region at the former Troop 7 state police barracks are open from Dec. 1 through March, regardless of the nighttime temperature. The Cape Region shelter in Lewes is only open when the temperature is 32 degrees and below.
Supplies obtained through Rotary’s donation were distributed to the following Code Purple shelters:
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: 202 N. North St., Seaford (shelter is located in the parish hall). Men only. Check-in 8:30 p.m. Check-out 7:45a.m. Meals provided at The CROSS for dinner at 7 p.m.
Gateway Fellowship: 8110 Cannon Road, Bridgeville. Women (with or without children) only. Check-in 8:30 p.m. Check-out 7:45 a.m. Women can meet at The CROSS for dinner at 7 p.m. Transportation provided to Gateway at 8:30 p.m and then back to Seaford in the morning. The CROSS building is located at 703 East King Street, Seaford.
Avenue United Methodist Church: 20 N Church Street, Milford. Men only (NOTE: Sex offenders are not allowed at this location due to the preschool located inside part of the church. Other arrangements may be made to check in to a different shelter.) Check-in 8:30 p.m. Check-out 7 a.m. Meals provided from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Location: Milford Nazarene Church located at 11 NW Salevan Pl., Milford.
Milford Nazarene: 11 NW Salevan Pl., Milford. Women (with or without children) only. Check-in 7 p.m. Check-out 7:45 a.m. Meals provided on site.
Laurel Nazarene: 100 Walnut Drive, Laurel. Men. Check-in 7 p.m. Check-out 6 a.m. Meals provided on site.
Georgetown Presbyterian Church: 203 N Bedford Street, Georgetown. Men and women (two separate sections). Check-in 9 p.m. (except Saturdays, 11 p.m.). Check-out 7:45 a.m. No dinner provided at this time.
Bethany Stone House: 21 N Pennsylvania Avenue, Bethany Beach. Men only. Check-in 6:30 p.m. Check-out 8 a.m. Meals provided on site.
Cape Region Shelter: 18006 Coastal Highway, Lewes. Men and women (separate buildings). Check-in 7 p.m. Check-out 7:30 a.m. Meals provided on site.
Additional information
For more information, to donate supplies or to volunteer, contact Sussex County Code Purple at: https://codepurplesussexcounty.com