From
helpless to helping Collingswood Cares gives volunteers opportunity to support those in need during trying time of pandemic BY KEVIN CALLAHAN
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ollingswood Cares. Really, this could be the slogan of the town: Collingswood Cares. Or at least on the signs entering town. This alliteration says what is known throughout South Jersey already. These two words are why Collingswood is so dynamic, how Haddon Avenue pulsates with life. Collingswood not only cares about the shoppers and diners who visit, but also cares about its neighbors. Fittingly, there is a Collingswood Cares, an organization, which does exactly what the name announces. Sandi Kelly, a Collingswood resident for 50 years, recently started volunteering with Collingswood Cares. “I got involved earlier this year when Mayor (Jim) Maley asked me to help develop a plan to help people struggling due to COVID-19,” Kelly said. Kelly embodies the spirit of the organization. She didn’t need to be persuaded. “Jim asked me,” Kelly said simply why she joined the team, “and because I love this town and we wanted to do something to help people who were struggling. When the pandemic first hit I think we all felt very helpless and this was a way to take action and make a difference.” Although Collingswood Cares has been recently assisting those in need during the novel coronavirus pandemic, it was started by Maley and his wife MaryKay in 1992. “There was a child with a medical condition and we raised some money to try and
help the family and when that was going on, we realized that there were a lot of families that way, so we started raising money,” Maley said. Once Collingswood Cares started, the growth blossomed quickly. “Back when Camden Yards opened, we would run bus trips for like 200 people and we’d raised money from that,” Maley said about the Baltimore Orioles popular park. “So we started with other fundraisers and then other groups started doing fundraisers.” Collingswood Cares provides resources for medical assistance, meals and transportation. “Originally, it was for families with children with chronic medical conditions and now it’s for families who are struggling through pandemic issues, whether it’s health issues or to get them food,” Maley said. Collingswood Cares, a 501 (c) (3), helps by shopping for food, delivering meals and picking up medications as well as financial assistance. “We raised a significant amount of money,” Maley said about the fundraising effort during the pandemic. “We’ve given out food store gift cards, and all kinds of things, whatever people need we are finding a way to get it for them.” During the pandemic, Collingswood Cares’ mission refocused a bit to help fami-
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