READING, Pa. – New Journey Community Outreach expands operations when temperatures drop.
During Code Blue, they open early. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They operate as a warming center.
“Year round, we do lunch service, which is about 400 meals daily, but for Code Blue, we offer breakfast and dinner,” said Christie Botterbusch, executive director of New Journey Community Outreach. “We basically operate as a warming center so that people are not outside.”
According to the Berks County coroner, several deaths this winter were related to being outside in the cold. Some cases are still under investigation.
Botterbusch said when temperatures drop, the work becomes urgent.
“It does become a matter of life and death,” she said. “ou really just have to act.”
That’s why Saturday’s “Coldest Night of the Year” walk matters. It’s New Journey’s largest fundraiser of the year.
“It really is to shine a light on the issues of hurt, hunger and homelessness in our communities,” Botterbusch said.
The 5K walk happens at Penn State Berks. Registration starts at 4 p.m. The walk begins at 5 p.m.
Botterbusch said it’s about more than money.
“Those are people,” she said. “We can get so far removed from the human aspect of it. These are very real people.”