MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. – A Code Purple hotline has been set up in McDowell County. This means when temperatures are 32 degrees or below, you can call this hotline to get help with food, clothing, and shelter. Those temperatures are dangerous for people to be outside.

 

What You Need To Know

  • A Code Purple hotline has been set up in McDowell County

  • When temperatures are 32 degrees or below, anyone can call the number to get help with food, shelter, or clothing

  • They are working on a way to use school buses to distribute these needs in a different way


Currently, they are able to take you to an open shelter but the volunteer group, Let's Act Army, is working to take that one step further. The group has been granted a school bus by a local church that they will be filling with cots.

At the moment, it still looks like a normal bus, but later this week those chairs will be removed and it will be transformed. Due to COVID-19, only around five cots can be on the bus, but that will be changing to 20 soon.

This is not the only bus volunteers plan to have, as they are working to find additional buses that they can make into a shower bus, a food truck, and even one where people can see a doctor.

"Our objectives is to serve anywhere that might be necessary. If there's a need for hurricane relief, we can go ahead and dispatch this to folks that need some relief," says Let's Act Army Founder Jason Seidel.

Currently, the hotline is also able to find you food which is being provided by East Marion Pentecostal Holiness Church. Volunteers have set up both car bags filled with blankets to keep people warm and food bags for those living in cars and without electricity to be able to eat.

Anyone can call the number for help. The Code Purple hotline number is (828) 764-295