Rock salt, Girl Scout Cookies, Ellio's Pizza: Philly area prepares for snow

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- On a frigid Friday night in Manayunk, the few who ventured out bundled up.

Hats, scarves, extra layers were a must.

Counties across our region have declared Code Blue cold weather emergencies.

Despite that, Smiley's Cafe still offers outdoor seating and free hot drinks to customers who use it.

"When it's cold, we give them coffee and tea on us and hot chocolate," Ahmad 'Smiley' Chehab said.

The threat of snow on Saturday meant long lines and busy aisles at the Acme in Bala Cynwyd where folks stocked up on essentials like rock salt and Girl Scout cookies.

And one little guy got his frozen Ellio's Pizza.

"I got two pizzas," the boy said.

Fabienne Rene of Roxborough said, "I just got off work and I said let me stop by the store to pick up food for the weekend in case we cannot go tomorrow."

But while the cold is an inconvenience for most, it can prove deadly for others.

At the Salvation Army's Code Blue Shelter in Norristown, we met some women who had been sleeping in a tent until last week.

"The reason we stopped sleeping in a tent is that we woke up and it was like an igloo inside," shelter resident Rubi Perez said.

The shelter offers the women a warm place to sleep and hot meals. And sadly, on cold nights like Friday, the demand for it outweighs the supply.

"Last night our beds almost at capacity. Right now we have 22 women and we only have 30 beds and our Code Blue goes until next week so we are looking at the possibility of running out of beds, but we will accommodate anyone we can," shelter monitor Donna Goodwin said.

If you know someone who needs a warm place to stay temporarily or other essentials officials urge you to call 2-1-1.