Hours of Operation

7:00 AM to 10:30 PM

Monday through Friday

The PeopleCare Center: A Living History

Most people assume that the name "PeopleCare" was chosen because the old Finderne Elementary School building was to become a home for programs that took care of people. While this is certainly true, Marguerite Chandler, who led the project in its formative years recalls, "It was all the people who cared enough to make the project happen that suggested the name."

In 1984, Millie Gaupp, from the Somerset County Board of Social Services, approached Marguerite Chandler about the possibility of applying for an unusual grant: a one-time, $100,000 grant from United Parcel Service (UPS). Millie knew of three non-profit agencies that were facing housing crises and needed a permanent home. "Maybe we could find a place where all three could be and apply for the grant as a group?" she asked.

Marguerite gathered the staff of her WorldWorks Foundation, Millie called the three groups together, and at that first meeting, the shared vision of the PeopleCare Center was born. Each of the three groups had an urgent need for permanent space: The Adult Day Center, The Somerset County Day Care Center, and The Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC). Each group provided vitally needed services for the community. None could afford commercial market rents.

The next step was for all involved to find a suitable building, big enough for all three groups. And the third step was, to write the grant so that the building could be acquired. The old Finderne Elementary School in Bridgewater seemed ideal. It had been empty and unused for almost two years. It was on public transportation lines, and it was centrally located in the county.

Marguerite went to her banker and drew against her business line of credit. Then armed with a cashier's check for $100,000, she went to the Board of Education meeting to assert the request. The Board members, growing more sympathetic in the face of the public pressure, agreed to set up a bidding process to sell the property. After the bid was accepted, everyone knew the PeopleCare Center was going to happen! So we had a building, bought "as is", with 6 acres that included baseball and soccer fields adjacent to a Township park.

More Than We Could Have Dreamed

When the building opened, each agency had wonderful space, and the shared spaces really did provide amenities that none could have afforded on their own. The cafeteria/multi-purpose room had a fully operational commercial kitchen. There were two conference rooms and an auditorium with a stage. There were outdoor spaces for the children too.

The energy of the place made people smile when they visited. There were the sounds of children and the presence in their art projects. There were seniors playing bingo and enjoying the old classrooms and hallways now retrofitted for their use. In the ARC section there were mentally challenged men and women who were learning to work productively.

Each afternoon, as the day programs closed down, the building came to life again as a Community Center for many evening uses such as The Sweet Adelines, The Hounds of Harmony, Irish dancers, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Finderne Heights Association and many board meetings. About 400 people passed through its doors every day. When the Center opened, Marguerite invited the Community Caring For Its Own to host their annual Thanksgiving Dinner at the PeopleCare Center and with The Food Bank as a partner, it has been an annual tradition in the building ever since.

Over the years PeopleCare has continued to inspire people. A major capital campaign and a series of excellent fundraising activities have succeeded in paying off over $1 million. A Taste of Somerset has become a community institution since its original conception. Quite literally thousands of folks from the community have given time, their money and their hearts to creating and sustaining PeopleCare. This "good idea" has not only benefited the original agencies and all those that have come since, but also is a model for other communities and a source of pride for our own.