Moorestown Community House Hopes Nice Weather Draws Events

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The Moorestown Community House played host to its first wedding in a year last weekend. In some ways, it reflected the times as a “hybrid” type wedding, with people celebrating both inside and outside. It was also a sign that maybe things are starting to get back to normal.

“People are coming to see the Community House, take a tour, plan future events,” Moorestown Community House Executive Director Caryn Lynch said. “We are encouraging people to have an event here and utilize our outdoor space.”

Many of the events that were postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic have been rescheduled for the coming weeks. The Community House is still only able to operate at 35 percent indoor capacity up to 100 people, but with spring in the air and the summer on its way, she’s hopeful some residents will want to have their events outside.

Lynch is also worried that the region could see another spike in cases, and the Community House could see those events that have been rescheduled will be canceled again.

“We do expect a fair amount of cancellations,” Lynch said. “We’re hoping to keep as many events as we can. It’s been a really tough year, and refunds are the worst-case scenario for us.”

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The Community House is not part of the township, and receives no government funding. It operates strictly on donations and venue rental income.

Last year, the Community House projected it would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars and possibly have to close if the coronavirus pandemic continued for too long.

But like it always does, the community rallied to the longstanding institution’s aid. It launched a Facebook fundraiser in which it exceeded its goal of raising $100,000.

The Community House continues to raise money on its website and is collecting donations in the form of checks that can be dropped off at the Community House, 16 East Main Street.

Having an event is still the best way to support the Community House, which continues to follow all the protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Many of the events they host are nonprofit events, and many of those nonprofits are still waiting for restrictions to be lifted before coming back.

“We’re still here after 96 years because the community uses our space,” Lynch said. “We want to keep everyone safe, so we’re doing what we’re being told to do. We want people to know we’re doing the right thing. It hurts financially, but we’re not violating any laws, and we’re proud of that.”