Katy Christian Ministries has long served the community with a big heart. So perhaps it is fitting that, when it opened its new headquarters Friday morning, it enjoyed two ceremonial ribbon cuttings.

Officials from both the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce and Fulshear Katy Area Chamber of Commerce, along with a host of volunteers and supporters, celebrated the opening of the new center, at 3506 Porter Road.

KCM is a 501(c)3 organization that focuses on four core programs. One is its crisis center, which deals with domestic and sexual abuse situations. A second is its food pantry. A third is its resale stores. Fourth are its social service programs.

The new building will serve as KCM’s principal headquarters, yet not all of its operations will be moved there immediately. KCM’s food pantry will remain at its 5504 1st St. location for the time being. The food pantry in the new building features higher ceilings and more room for food. But the new food pantry is on the north side of the building. The trucks that deliver the food do not have access to that area for lack of paving.

The resale stores, both the 5504 1^st St. and 23232 Kingsland Blvd. locations, remain in place. Both locations also serve as donation centers.

With all the inevitable chaos caused by the relocation, KCM has remained busy serving the public. Despite the pandemic becoming less of an issue, the need remains. The food pantry reported 3,266 total unduplicated households served from January-April 2022. This is a 26% drop from the same period last year. The food pantry reported 491,769 total meals distributed, a 3.8% drop from the same period last year.

The crisis center reported that it worked with 306 primary and secondary domestic violence victims between January-April, a 26% drop from the same period last year. The crisis center reported that it worked with 378 primary and secondary sexual abuse victims, a 37% drop from the same period last year.

KCM is still accepting donations as it completes what Crespo called “Round 2 of Phase 1” of its capital campaign. She said the center is working to raise about $91,000 to meet its approximately $275,000 target. For more information or to make a donation, see the website ktcm.org/donate.