Authorship Attributed to Fred Melroy, Clerk of Greenleaf Granting Group
The Greenleaf Boarding Home began in 1896 with a generous gift of money from Anna Thomas Jeanes to Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting along with a gift of property in Moorestown NJ from the Paul Family. Daughter, the famous suffragette Alice Paul, became a resident and passed away there in 1977. The Legal name is the Friends Boarding Home of the Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting but became known as “The Greenleaf” in 1930 due to the bucolic campus sporting many gardens including those for growing their own fruits and vegetables.
Over the years Greenleaf expanded to include a skilled nursing facility, and many members of the Quarter volunteered at the home or donated gifts of money and food. However, across the country smaller retirement homes suffered from lack of occupancy in the 1990’s and ultimately The Greenleaf Building was sold to Moorestown Friends School 2008. Proceeds from the sale along with the Greenleaf endowment were transferred to Friends Fiduciary under the care of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Currently the corpus of the fund is more than $13 million. A granting group was established and income from the fund is distributed to needy elderly Quaker’s with priority given to those from the Haddonfield Quarter. The current granting group is clerked by a member of Haddonfield Quarter and made up of members from both the Quarter and greater PYM. The recipients of Greenleaf Grants receive collectively approximately $400,000 a year. Demand is currently outpacing income so approvals in the future will be limited, with Haddonfield Quarter getting top priority.
For more information visit the Aging Grants Web Page or contact grants@pym.org.
