Faith-based groups team up
Three days into the storm on Aug. 28, staffers from faith-based organizations Clothed by Faith, Katy Christian Ministries and CrossPoint Church convened at Kingsland Baptist Church on Kingsland Boulevard to centralize their resources. CrossPoint Church, at 700 Westgreen Blvd., Katy, offered to act as a donation distribution center.
“I was in touch with the [local offices of emergency management], police department of Katy and the emergency services district, and I was asking how best could we as a church community serve,” CrossPoint’s lead pastor Paul Goeke said.
Emergency shelters made room for evacuees by sending excess donations to CrossPoint and KCM, the latter of which also acted as a distribution center. Abigail Morton, founder and director of Clothed by Faith, said her organization also directed its donations to CrossPoint.
Clothed by Faith gathers clothing and necessities for needy individuals and families.
Since opening the center Aug. 29, Clothed by Faith and CrossPoint have assisted more than 6,500 individuals through their pop-up store, which allows clients to select new or gently used clothing for free. Goeke said center volunteers represented various faiths as well as secular viewpoints, including Christians, Hindus, Muslims, agnostics and atheists.
The same day the center opened, KCM staffers returned to their facility at 5510 First St., Katy, to find it flooded. KCM offers a food pantry, mental health assistance and crisis services for victims of sexual assault or domestic violence.
“When the streets were passable, we moved into a reaction mode of, ‘OK. Yes, we’re flooded, but we’re here to help people,’” Executive Director Deysi Crespo said.
Cleanup work began and donations were accepted in KCM’s parking lot. On Aug. 30 staffers moved counseling and intervention services into the Family Life Assembly of God Church at 24911 Roesner Road, Katy, and more than 100 volunteers arrived to help at the damaged facility and food pantry thanks to pleas on social media.
By Sept. 1, KCM had helped more than 4,000 residents with essential items for recovery. As of Sept. 12, the organization had aided 4,377 adults and 3,584 children with food, counseling and other services.
Crespo’s main concern, however, is the group’s resale store.
“Forty-three percent of our revenue comes from the resale store,” she said. “I expect the resale store to not be functioning for a total of up to maybe three weeks, so that’s huge.”
Medical charity drops fees
Medical services became important during and after Harvey’s flooding. In response, Christ Clinic Katy, which provides low-cost medical care to uninsured and underinsured individuals, waived all basic medical care fees to those in need. The waiver also included medication, Development Manager Beverly Allen said.
The clinic partnered with Clinic in a Can and Heart to Heart to provide medical and mental health services to residents affected by Harvey. This bolstered staffing at the clinic, which depends almost entirely on volunteer medical professionals, Allen said.
The clinic is providing free tetanus shots to those exposed to floodwaters to prevent infections.
Morton expressed thanks for support received and said needs may persist for at least a year after the storm. Clothed By Faith, KCM, Christ Clinic Katy and CrossPoint Church all said their chief needs are volunteers and financial contributions.
“[It’s about] seeking to help in the manner that’s needed, and not necessarily in the way that makes us feel like we’ve helped,” Goeke said.
Clothed by Faith
802 Dominion Drive, Ste. 100, Katy
281-676-8837
www.clothedbyfaith.org
Christ Clinic Katy
25722 Kingsland Blvd., Ste. 101, Katy
281-391-0190
www.christclinickaty.org
CrossPoint Church
700 Westgreen Blvd., Katy
281-398-6464
www.lifeatcrosspoint.org
Katy Christian Ministries
5510 First St., Katy
281-391-5261
www.ktcm.org
