Interfaith Caregivers will have a new address by the end of summer, a move precipitated by the twin necessities of time and finance – or more precisely, the lack of either.
Currently situated in the Little House behind Borough Hall, the organization has literally outgrown its environs.
“The reason we’re moving is that this building, which is a historical building, I think it was built in the 1860s, has developed issues with the foundation. There is no funding available to fix it,” said executive director Nancy DeLaura.
“It was not ‘get out as soon as possible’ and we’re very grateful to the borough since they’ve been a wonderful partner. It was more like ‘hey, are you aware the building has these difficulties and we’re looking for funding, but we can’t guarantee if we will get it. They brought that to my attention and to the attention of our board president (Bob Mirabello) and we’ve been looking around for another space ever since.”
Although reticent about putting a definitive date on the relocation, DeLaura stated she was confident the move would happen in the first week of August. She’s sad to see the old building go, but excited for the new opportunity.
“We will be occupying the first floor of a building located on 20 Chestnut St. (The search process) felt like a million years … but honestly, from the day we were told until now, it’s probably been about two months. I think we knew probably back in February,” she said.
Interfaith will be celebrating its 29th birthday in September, and the new digs will be its third location.
The organization originally operated out of Mabel Kay Senior Center when it was first located on Lake Street. When Mabel Kay moved to its current location on Walnut Street, the borough was able to help IFC take some space in the building behind Borough Hall, and over the years, that space expanded to include the entire building.
When The Sun visited on June 28, packing up was well underway. When asked if DeLaura had any contingencies if the move did not proceed by the expected timetable, she offered:
“I feel like everything about this has been a contingency plan. But right now, we’re working on making sure that all of our computer networking will be able to be supported there. We’re looking into what that means in terms of electricity, and then also to make sure we have the appropriate WiFi and information technology infrastructure for our phones and our computers.”
Given the chaos of relocation in a relatively small window, DeLaura does not anticipate any reduction in staff or service, beyond a brief interruption when the phone system is transferred between buildings.
“We will not be decreasing any of our personnel. Currently there are three people on our staff. Three full-timers. We could always use some more volunteers. I’m sure we could use any help we could get for the move, especially in terms of people providing us their professional services or even just a little bit more manpower,” she offered.
“We think the upside to this move is that it’s such a visible location, that it allows us to publicize our mission to a wider audience.”
Interfaith Caregivers’ mission is to facilitate independent living by providing volunteer services for people living in Haddonfield and Haddon Heights who are 65 and older, or have disabilities, free of cost.
“We are deeply grateful to the Borough of Haddonfield and the commissioners for the use of the Little House for the past 20 years. On behalf of all the trustees, clients and volunteers we express our sincere appreciation for their kindness and support,” Mirabello said in a statement.
For more information on the move or how to volunteer, call (856) 354-0298 or visit: www.ifchaddons.org.
