Changing Our Landscape
Care & Share will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary beginning in November! Hitting the “5-0” is usually viewed as a fairly momentous occasion. We’ll be starting the year of celebration by hosting a banquet on Saturday, November 8, which we hope you will join us. Look for the invite, mark the date on your calendar now!
Have you ever renovated your landscaping or uprooted your established gardens to plant something new? Landscape experts suggest that most home landscapes and foundation plantings have a productive life of about 25-30 years, and then should be considered for replacement. Many ornamental trees and most shrubs become overgrown and out of shape by the time the quarter-century mark rolls around. There may be dead spots or uneven branches. Certain perennial flowers may have overtaken the beds, squeezing out the wider range of plants that existed earlier. The home gardener may decide the best way forward is to uproot everything and start fresh.
When the change begins, there is a lot of upheaval. First, old shrubs and trees are pulled out and removed. Then the foundation and landscape can look bleak and it’s hard to imagine what will come next. The homeowner may begin to doubt they did the right thing! Was the decision to change everything a mistake? Can the home landscape move from the bare earth into something attractive? A lot of work occurs in this stage. Soil is turned and perhaps more brought in. Hardscaping may be added, new borders shaped around the house. Finally the day comes when all the preparation is complete, and new plants are placed. Shrubs, trees, and flowers bring the area back to life. There is a new, fresh look and feel to the property. The homeowner now sees the results of the changeover, and it is pleasing.
Reaching our 50th anniversary, there potentially is a big change ahead for Care & Share. As we wait for the township’s decision in October, we are cautiously planning a very big move for the operation. In the months ahead we will experience some of that garden upheaval, as we uproot from the Souderton Shopping Center. The Souderton Center has served Care & Share well for many decades, but in the last decade, the bare spots and the gaps became evident as we grew. After much careful consideration, the Board of Directors and administration have made the decision to relocate Care & Share, and move to a new location. This will give the shoppes and organization an opportunity to put down roots in a new space that will accommodate the company’s needs and allow it to continue its mission. Does this change come without worries and concerns? Of course not. But in the upcoming months we will be laying the groundwork and doing the preparation to allow us to open a larger, more efficient shopping experience in a fresh, beautiful space!
It is normal to feel some apprehension and doubts when moving from the known and familiar to a new landscape. It’s essential to us that our valued volunteers join us on this journey! If you have questions or concerns, see your department manager or a member of the administration. We are excited to continue to serve our local communities and MCC in a new and fresh landscape. We are trying to be as transparent as possible as this project evolves and, we trust, is approved and moves forward! Please continue to participate in the important and impactful work of Care & Share Thrift Shoppes!