Cypress Assistance Ministries announces plans to build new facility

[caption id="attachment_88116" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Officials with Cypress Assistance Ministries announce plans to move into their own building on Cypress N. Houston Road at the nonprofit’s 25-year anniversary celebration July 30.[/caption]

Officials with local nonprofit Cypress Assistance Ministries announced plans July 30 to start building their own facility to serve as the organization’s headquarters on Cypress N. Houston Road. The group, which currently rents space in a shopping center at 11202 Huffmeister Road, is in the process of purchasing the land, but Executive Director Martha Burnes said they should close on the property within 45 days.

“We’re holding off on getting into the details of what exactly we’ll build until it’s official, but I have no indication that we’re going to have a problem buying the property,” Burnes said.

The announcement was made at a celebration for CAM’s 25-year anniversary. Since its inception in 1990, the organization has grown from a local church serving meals to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering financial assistance, food pantry and employment help, among other forms of assistance.

“Where we’re located right now, we’ve run out of space,” Burnes said. “We are in three separate buildings, and the space is not being used very efficiently. As CAM grew over the years, we took over space in the [Huffmeister Road] shopping center as it became available, but it’s not planned space and is not as effective as if we had our own building.”

The new facility, found with the help of local Realtor Jim Regan, will put CAM in a better position to deal with growth, Burnes said. Moving forward, she plans to work with members of the community to get a better idea of what needs still have to be met and what new programs should be established.

In 2014 the volunteers at the nonprofit logged nearly 30,000 hours of service, Burnes said. The group works across four Cy-Fair ZIP codes: 77065, 77095, 77429 and 77433.

Without disclosing the exact location of the new facility, Burnes said it will be on a 4-acre tract on Cypress N. Houston Road not far from the existing location. Early plans involve about 40,000 square feet of space and potentially two separate buildings.

“We’ve got to close on the property before making a move on the capital campaign, but we’re planning the cost to be about $3.5 million,” Burnes said.

Minnie Davila, a CAM volunteer who has been with the organization since it was founded, said being able to house all of CAM’s operations under one roof will be a great benefit.

“Even though we have this whole center now, it’s still crowded,” she said. “We do so much with the classes, the pantry, the store. It will make things so much better for both the volunteers and the people we serve.”

Cypress Assistance Ministries

11202 Huffmeister Road, Houston 281-955-7684 www.cypressassistanceministries.com