The announcement of plans for the Cypress Assistance Ministries to move into it's own building came at the nonprofit's 25-year anniversary celebration.[/caption]
Officials with local nonprofit Cypress Assistance Ministries announced plans July 30 to build 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 be able to close on the property within the next 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 being founded in 1990, the organization has grown from a local church serving meals to the needy to a 501c3 nonprofit offering financial assistance, a food pantry, resale shop, employment help and GED and ESL classes, 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 will also put CAM in a better position to deal with future growth, Burnes said. Moving forward, she plans to work with members of the community to get a better idea of what needs still need to be met and what new programs should be established.
In 2014, the nonprofit distributed 171 pounds of food and volunteers 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 four-acre tract on Cypress N. Houston Road not far from the existing location. Plans involve about 40,000 square feet of space and potentially two separate buildings.
“We’ve got to close on the property before we make any move in regards to a capital campaign, but we’re planning for the cost to be about $3.5 million,” Burnes said. “That includes everything from computer cabling and the telephone system to the actual construction of the building and parking lot.”
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 food pantry, the store. It will just make things so much better for both the volunteers and the people we serve.”
The announcement of plans for the Cypress Assistance Ministries to move into it's own building came at the nonprofit's 25-year anniversary celebration.[/caption]
Officials with local nonprofit Cypress Assistance Ministries announced plans July 30 to build 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 be able to close on the property within the next 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 being founded in 1990, the organization has grown from a local church serving meals to the needy to a 501c3 nonprofit offering financial assistance, a food pantry, resale shop, employment help and GED and ESL classes, 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 will also put CAM in a better position to deal with future growth, Burnes said. Moving forward, she plans to work with members of the community to get a better idea of what needs still need to be met and what new programs should be established.
In 2014, the nonprofit distributed 171 pounds of food and volunteers 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 four-acre tract on Cypress N. Houston Road not far from the existing location. Plans involve about 40,000 square feet of space and potentially two separate buildings.
“We’ve got to close on the property before we make any move in regards to a capital campaign, but we’re planning for the cost to be about $3.5 million,” Burnes said. “That includes everything from computer cabling and the telephone system to the actual construction of the building and parking lot.”
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 food pantry, the store. It will just make things so much better for both the volunteers and the people we serve.”
