The Merchant House was excited to announce that they are making progress with opening and sincerely appreciate everyone's patience caused by Covid-19 delays. Owner, Patti and her crew are working hard to make sure all needs are met and they can safely open. She looks forward to serving food in a warm, family atmosphere and building relationships in our quaint borough.The Merchant House is now on Instagram @themerchanthousenj and have posted updated photos of the interior they're excited for you to see. Please follow them on Facebook and other social media as they ready to open their doors to our community! 

The Merchantville School District, located in Camden County, New Jersey, is seeking qualified candidates for the following position: Jr. High Math Teacher (Grades 6 – 8).  The district is committed to the students of Merchantville and ensuring their success in the 21st century. This is a maternity leave position starting September 2020 to December 2020. Salary to be determined by the MEA contract and guide. For consideration, forward cover letter, resume and copy of certification(s) by June 30, 2020 to: J. Scott Strong, Chief School Administrator, Merchantville School, Email (Preferred):  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Mail:  130 S Centre Street, Merchantville, NJ 08109.

Mayor Ted Brennan, Councilman Andy McLoone and Chief of Police, Rich Grassia, Jr., posted a statement on the municipal website on Friday, June 5th, expressing their sadness about national events that have unfolded in over the past two weeks and, their commitment to lines of open communication about systemic racism. As a first step, these community leaders, along with other community, educational and religious representatives will host a forum in Wellwood Park on Tuesday, June 16th, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss these issues and learn how we can all do better. Wellwood Park is located between West Maple and Myrtle Avenues just past the Browning Road intersection. The public is requested to bring a chair or blanket, wear a face covering and maintain social distancing.

Jan Hanson, member of the Woman's Club of Merchantville, recently became the 57th President of the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs of GFWC, taking over responsibilities from 2018-20 president Mary Wolfe from Vineland. Jan joined the JWCM in 1982 and the Woman's Club of Merchantville in 1994. She served as her club's President as well as a number of district and State Board positions before her election in 2018 as the NJSFWC President-elect. She is a Pennsauken resident and served as past PTA president, as well as, a PYAA girls' basketball, soccer and softball coach. Barbara McCloskey, from the Woman's Club of the Denville-Rockaway, was named second vice-president.

Early in 2019, Nicole Nurthen Photography collaborated with The Merchantville Business and Professional Association (MBPA) to promote, advocate for and educate local businesses through a series of featured video profiles. Since then she has created and published photo and videos narratives on social media highlighting the shops, restaurants and service providers in our town. Now, more than ever, her pictorial works have served as a constant reminder of the need to support small businesses. Her newest offering, "Come Back", is a 90 second video montage of Merchantville's business owners welcoming the community to support them as they ready to reopen. Stay up-to-date with our business community through the MBPA on Instagram @shopmerchantville and follow #shopmerchantville on Twitter.

At Incredible Edible Merchantville food security is part of our mission and one of our top priorities. To that end, we are hoping to partner with local food banks to share our excess harvest during this growing season. On Monday, June 1st, the Dolores F. Clark Food Pantry at Grace Church accepted our offer of surplus produce. Their pantry takes place on Wednesdays from 12-2PM. If you have fresh greens and vegetables to donate please drop them off at the church (side door) to Peggy Stephens between 9-11AM this Wednesday, June 3rd. All harvested items should be washed and bagged before donating. IE Merchantville will be creating some packaging labels and distribute bags/labels to participating members by next week. We are very excited to have an opportunity to support food justice, nurture environmental stewardship and promote a healthy culture and sustainable future.

The Merchantville Police Department, Mayor Brennan and Borough Council are sad to share the passing of Retired Chief Robert Ward. Chief Ward passed away on May 20th after a battling an illness. Robert "Bob" Ward was the chief of police for thirty-three years, from 1972 – 2005. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the entire Ward family, friends and co-workers. On June 1st at 11:00 a.m. there was a short procession past Chief Ward's residence so that members of the police department, fire department and, past and present Borough officials were able to pay their respects to his family. Rest In Peace Chief.

As a neighboring community, Merchantville appreciates the residents of Camden, Chief Joseph Wysocki, the Camden Police Department for the leadership they demonstrated by marching peacefully in solidarity to protest the killing of George Floyd this past Saturday. Since Camden’s police force disbanded and reformed in 2013 as a county agency, officers there have been hyper-focused on community policing. You will often see them walking beats or attending neighborhood block parties grilling up hamburgers and hot dogs. “We know that together we are stronger, we know that together, in the city of Camden, we can create a space where policing is focused on deescalation and dialogue,” Wysocki said. May 30th's peaceful protest and march in Camden was another example of their ongoing community engagement, and the very real dialogue that they are having with residents throughout Camden.

The Merchantville Fire Department and Police Department want our community to know how much they appreciate the generosity shown by the individuals and businesses they protect. This past week they offered Facebook "shout-outs" for the PPE provided by Cindy Zimmerman and the Camden City School Nurses who sewed face masks for the patrol division and, the New Jersey Young Democrat Labor Caucus donated KN95 masks to the fire department. Last week Flying Crust Pizza & Wings dropped off a delicious at the firehouse on May 31st, the Brejcha Family provided lunch to the firefighters on May 29th and, Mission BBQ for brought lunch to our police officers on May 27th. Thanks for feeding and protecting those who keep us safe.

Beginning May 23rd, Camden County is no longer announcing new cases and deaths related to Covid-19 on weekends or holidays. All weekend cases and deaths will be announced on the next business day and will be properly attributed to the day they were received. As of Friday, May 29th, Merchantville had 44 confirmed cases of coronavirus and the Camden County Department of Health (DOH) announced 59 additional confirmed cases of the disease. This brings the aggregate number of confirmed positive cases to 6,588 in Camden County today and 320 total fatalities.