Through her nonprofit, Kristen Babock is trying to ensure that no Burlington County resident goes without basic human supplies.
On any given day, Kristen Babcock can open her front door to a pile of donations on her porch. Babcock’s Moorestown home has come to be known as an unofficial homeless shelter donation spot.
She said the idea of people going without basic necessities such as food and shelter has always troubled her, and, for that reason, she founded her own nonprofit in 2016 called Code Blue Collaborative LLC to facilitate collecting donations for shelters in Burlington County. She has become a resource for people who want to donate but weren’t sure how.
Today, Babcock works with six Code Blue shelters in Burlington County. Often people think to donate clothing or food in the winter, but shelters are in constant short supply of feminine hygiene products, baby formula, diapers and wipes. For that reason, Babcock has been reaching out to her Moorestown network in recent weeks to encourage people to donate these too-often-forgotten essentials.
Around five years ago, one of Babcock’s friends posted on Facebook about a Code Blue shelter in need of blankets. Unsure of what a Code Blue shelter was, she asked the friend for more information.
A Code Blue alert is declared when temperatures dip below the freezing point and pose a danger to the homeless population. The alert allows local shelters and agencies to shelter at-risk homeless during these dangerous conditions.
Babcock said within 24 hours of learning what a Code Blue shelter was, she had two car loads of food collected and ready to donate to the shelter her friend had posted about. Since then, Babcock and her family have not stopped collecting.
During the cold months, she works with all six of Burlington County’s Code Blue shelters, and she works with the Extended Hand Ministry Homeless Shelter in Mount Holly, which is open year-round.
Since taking up her first collection five years ago, Babcock has provided clothing, blankets, cots and permanent beds to shelters in Burlington County. She said she reaches out to find out what the need is and networks to take up donations to fulfill it — whether that means reaching out to local schools to do donation drives or promoting on Facebook for people to drop off donations at her home.
For months, Babcock said she has been discussing creating a pantry at Extended Hands dedicated to feminine hygiene products and baby supplies. She said these crucial supplies are too often overlooked.
“I think it doesn’t cross your mind; you don’t think of it,” Babcock said. “When you think of shelters, you’re thinking food, clothing.”
Last spring, Babcock made her donation work a bit more official by creating her nonprofit. Simply put, she said the name “Code Blue Collaborative” was inspired by her extensive work with Code Blue shelters. She said the nonprofit essentially works in conjunction with local shelters to find out what they need and address procuring those items.
Collecting donations has since become a year-round family affair. Babcock said she constantly takes her daughters with her to Extended Hand because she wants to instill in them the importance of giving.
“I’ve been very purposeful in wanting to teach them how to give back to the community,” Babcock said. “We live in a very well-to-do community. People are quick to forget how fortunate they are.”
Through her work, Babcock said she has developed a special relationship with Extended Hand’s shelter manager Michael Gould. She said sometimes shelters can almost make it difficult to help with all of the rules and bureaucracy, but Gould has always been responsive and grateful for whatever Babcock has been willing to donate.
“She’s a fantastic woman,” Gould said. “She brought in thousands of dollars worth of clothing. She did a fundraiser for us. She’s been a guardian angel to us.”
Gould said he knows he can text Babcock when a situation arises, and she’ll be there to help. He said when a shelter resident needed clothes for a job interview, he reached out to her, and she came through. Similarly, when food donations take a summertime dip, he knows he can call Babcock to help keep the shelter stocked.
Looking forward, Babcock said she wants to be involved in creating another homeless shelter based on Extended Hand’s model. She said she also loves the idea of having a thrift shop to house all of her donations, which would be staffed by local homeless individuals.
Code Blue Collaborative is run by a small group of people, but she said she’s more than willing to accept help from anyone who wants to get involved or lend a hand. For more information on Code Blue Collaborative, visit https://www.facebook.com/codeblueburlingtoncounty/ or email Babcock at [email protected].
