The Depot was established in 1965 by a small group of volunteers in the baggage room of the Ridgewood Railroad Station. Their mission was to raise funds to benefit Family Counseling Service in Ridgewood, now a division of Children’s Aid and Family Services, Inc. After expanding three times, The Depot moved to its present location, a seven-room house in Midland Park, NJ, in 1978. Over the years, the tremendous contribution of both time and talent by hundreds of volunteers has resulted in donations to the agency approaching $3 million. The Depot is a member of the Federation of Woman’s Exchanges and is the largest all-volunteer exchange in the United States.
The Depot’s Mission Statement is three-fold:
- To provide constant financial support to Children’s Aid and Family Services, Inc., which is of utmost importance to our volunteers.
- To offer the opportunity to earn extra income by providing an outlet for the art and handiwork of our crafters, many of whom are senior citizens.
- To provide a warm and friendly atmosphere for women to meet and make new friends while feeling a sense of accomplishment through their service to the community.
Children’s Aid and Family Services is one of northern New Jersey’s leading nonprofit providers of human services and child welfare programs. We help children whose families are unable to care for them, and we support children, young adults, the elderly and their families through the everyday challenges and transitions in life.
Since 1899, we’ve been helping the most vulnerable people in our community improve their lives. Our mission is to preserve, protect, and when needed, provide families. Motivated by compassion and in partnership with the community, we make positive lasting differences in the lives of those we serve.
Our services include:
- A full range of adoption and foster care services for infants, children and teenagers with special needs.
- Support services and community homes for children and young adults with developmental disabilities.
- Safe, supervised housing for pregnant teens and teen moms and their children, as well as education, skills and support services that will enable the teens to become self-sufficient.
- Early childhood education and child care.
- Free nutritional formula and diapers for low-income families.
- Community and school-based prevention and education programs about substance abuse and advocacy for responsive prevention.
For more information about Children’s Aid and Family Services, visit www.cafsnj.org
The Federation of Women’s Exchanges is the national organization that links 20 nonprofit exchanges in 12 states. Founded on March 20, 1934, the purpose was to connect Woman’s Exchanges throughout the United States.
Federation Exchanges are composed of volunteers who care about the success of others in our communities. We continue to work for the benefit of our nonprofit organizations and our handcrafters.