Nonpro t
BY KELLY SCHAFLER
About 100 families register weekly for Fort Bend Care Center’s food market.
Chang Hzutu, a former chef, has volunteered at the Fort Bend Care Center’s food market since it launched.
PHOTOS BY KELLY SCHAFLER COMMUNITY IMPACT
Fort Bend Care Center provides asset-based approach
President Mei Wong (left) and Program Director Lily Shih sit outside Fort Bend Community Church after Fort Bend Care Center’s April 8 food distribution event.
facility on the church’s property to expand the nonpro t’s services. “Our goal is to build them up and transform them so that they can be healthy, viable and gain- fully employed,” Program Director Lily Shih said. Why it matters The demand for the faith-based nonpro t’s food services has grown over time, leading to the food market increasing in frequency from monthly to weekly, Shih said. How to help The organization launched the capital campaign last fall to bring tuition-free early childhood edu- cation and a permanent food market, Wong said.
Nonpro t Fort Bend Care Center grew from a group of local church members who wanted to help the community recover from Hurricane Harvey. The organization became an independent nonpro t in March 2018 to meet the community’s long-term needs, President Mei Wong said. What it does The organization currently occupies space in Fort Bend Community Church in Missouri City and provides the community with a weekly food market, enrichment programs for children, on-site health services from AccessHealth and adult literacy programs, Wong said. Now, o cials plan to fundraise $5.6 million to construct a 14,000-square-foot
LAKE OLYMPIA PKWY.
SIENNA RANCH RD.
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7707 Hwy. 6 S., Missouri City www.fortbendcarecenter.org
Visit the Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center in Sugar Land! Behind the Imperial Sugar Char House and Silos! A Playground for your Mind™
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SUGAR LAND MISSOURI CITY EDITION
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