ALBEMARLE — Now two years in the making, Stanly Community Christian Ministry’s renovation and expansion project has come to a completion.
The Stanly County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting open house event earlier this month to celebrate the grand re-opening of the nonprofit assistance center at 506 S. First St. in Albemarle.
Along with SCCM staff, volunteers and board members, representatives from the Stanly Chamber attended the Sept. 6 event as the renovated facility was unveiled to the public with a tour to showcase a larger food warehouse — now expanded by 5,000 square feet — as well as additional office space, a new volunteer training room, and a new project assembly room.
These architectural changes are the direct result of SCCM’s Growing to Serve Campaign, which was kickstarted in 2022 in order to encourage financial donations.
“We are excited to be invited today to help with this ribbon cutting for Stanly Community Christian Ministry’s newly-renovated facility,” said Erica Church, president of the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce. “It’s an honor to see that this organization goes above and beyond to share love and hope to those facing food insecurity within our community. It’s an honor for us to be a part of this celebration today.
Prior to the conclusion of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Heather Kilde, executive director at SCCM, spoke to those in attendance and provided updates on the nonprofit ministry’s performance in the community.
“We’re thrilled to be here today cutting the ribbon and moving to full service of this facility,” Kilde said. “We’ve been open since October, but the final touches have been made today.”
Kilde stated that SCCM’s two free-dining community table spots — located in both Albemarle and Norwood — have provided over 100,000 meals to community members so far in 2024, while each city’s SCCM-affiliated food pantry has shared approximately 337,000 pounds of food and 28,000 pounds of food, respectively.
The nonprofit has also provided an estimated $150,000 worth of financial assistance in the form of rent and utility assistance to community members.
“We couldn’t do any of this without our volunteers,” Kilde added. “Our volunteers this year have worked 16,800 hours for the ministry that we do not have to pay staff for. We really appreciate that contingent of volunteers that shows up regularly, weekly. Our guys that hang out in the back, the people that hang clothes at the closet, and those that serve our neighbors directly at our tables are really important to us. Thank you so much.”
Since 1985, SCCM has continued to serve in its mission to provide food, financial and clothing assistance to those in need.
It has been headquartered out of its 506 S. First Street building for the past 29 years, now offering over 10 programs to serve Stanly County and averaging a completion of 72,000 client requests per year.
More information about SCCM and its series of assistance programs is available at sccminc.org.