The L+M Team joined the staff and parishioners of Canaan Baptist Church of Christ to celebrate the opening of a new permanent home for the church’s Senior Service Center.

The opening comes after the center was forced to close in September 2016 when the lease ended at its former location, leaving it to find temporary space in the years since.

After hearing about the senior center’s circumstances, L+M worked with the Canaan Senior Service Center team to find them a suitable space in our building at 1428 Fifth Avenue, a 100% affordable building serving Section 8 residents.

Rev. Dr. Thomas Johnson, Pastor at the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ, said, “The opening of the new Canaan Senior Service Center is a classic example of how the faith community and the private sector can collaborate to improve the quality of living in our community.”

The NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA)-funded the Canaan Senior Service Center’s new home, which includes a fully built-out kitchen, outdoor space, community gathering space, a game room and offices for church administrators. L+M completely renovated the space, including the addition of new kitchen appliances, in advance of the senior center moving in.

The Canaan Senior Service Center was established in 1972 by Canaan Baptist Church of Christ pastor Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker. The center started as a one-day-per-week service for Harlem seniors and initially was fully funded and staffed by volunteers. The church has supported the senior center since 1975, along with core support from the New York City Department for the Aging, and supplemental support from Title V, Easternseals and Angel Guardians for the Elderly. Canaan Senior Service Center services include case assistance, entitlements counseling, shopping assistance, transportation, telephone reassurance calls to the isolated and homebound, friendly visits to the sick and shut-in, and education and recreation for daily participants.

You can read more about the opening here: https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/church-opens-new-senior-center-harlem