Christian Community In Action

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Our Mission

Christian Community In Action, begun in 1968, is committed "To provide any resident of the service area who meets the necessary criteria with emergency assistance for their essential human needs, including, but not limited to, shelter, fuel, utilities, clothing and food."

Christian Community In Action exists to help our local neighbors who face immediate crisis. Founded on Matthew 25:31-45, volunteers carry out Christ’s command to love our neighbors.

Our geographic focus is Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Friendship and New Hill. Our counterpart in Apex is "Western Wake Crisis Ministry." We work with groups in Fuquay-Varina to strengthen services available there and people in that area of Wake County were served by a local crisis ministry.

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Our Ministries

Ministries include:

• Providing crisis assistance to approximately 375 local neighbors monthly.Assistance may include:
• Paying an utility bill, buying gasoline, helping with rent or mortgage, giving clothing, paying for prescriptions, providing food, giving comfort and a listening ear
• Awards scholarships for adults seeking to improve their education
• Awards scholarship assistance to children including preschool, before and after school, and daycare schools
• Operating a food pantry which offers bags of groceries to feed people for at least one week
• Supporting a ministry to three prisons with funds and goods
• Collecting and passing on medical appliances to local people
• Recycling some Dorcas Thrift Shop donations to others in need
• Referring people in crisis, not from Cary-Morrisville, to other local agencies
• Giving financial grants to some local non-profits so those people can carry out a specialized ministry
• Opening CCA programs to supply needs in local churches, in local schools, and for those in the military
• Serving our local area senior citizens with special private sales

CCA grant monies are working at

• White Plains preschool program that has many special needs children
• The Carying Place, which educates homeless families as they practice skills needed to maintain a home.
• Alliance Medical Ministry that serves the uninsured working poor in greater Wake County, NC
• North Carolina Prevention for the Blind so they can make available free eye screenings for adults in South-West Wake County who cannot afford vision screenings and who are at-risk for developing conditions leading to permanent loss of sight.

All CCA employees and volunteers are quick to provide referral services when people call, even when we cannot help with material goods. 100% of any financial donation is used for CCA ministry to help local people in need.

The CCA ministry presently serves people in Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Friendship and New Hill. The CCA counterpart in Apex is Western Wake Crisis Ministry. CCA is working with groups in Fuquay-Varina to strengthen services available there and beginning on January 1, 2005 people in that area of Wake County were served by a local crisis ministry.

CCA seeks to cooperate with a range of other community organizations in order to achieve our purpose. The most obvious of these are the churches that support CCA through contributions and volunteers. For more information on these, refer to the Partners page.

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Our History

In 1968 a group of people led by Margaret Keller began the mission of CCA, based on Matthew 25:31-45, to show the love of Jesus Christ by serving people in need in our local area. This group consisted of people from Cary churches of different denominations who were inspired to carry out a common mission.

The first projects were an Enrichment Kindergarten for lower-income children and an adult literacy program. In 1972 another need came to the attention of the leaders; lower-income people needed a place where they could shop with dignity for clothing and household items. The Dorcas Thrift Shop was organized. With many donations of items from the community, the Dorcas Thrift Shop increased its sales until it has become the major fund raising arm of CCA for the work of the Crisis Ministry office and other ministries.

CCA gave birth to the Carying Place and is working with Western Wake Crisis Center and Fuquay-Varina people of faith so a crisis ministry can begin in that area of the county. The Carying Place was begun to assist homeless people with housing and with the necessary skills for self-reliance. CCA has continued to provide a financial grant to The Carying Place after it left the CCA umbrella. Other current projects which continue the original ministries include childcare scholarships and adult education assistance. CCA ministries have expanded to include the prison ministry, and excess donations are shared with other agencies that have the same vision. The Crisis Ministry volunteers assist clients with food, clothing, medical support, financial support, and referrals to other appropriate agencies. The emphasis of the CCA ministries is to serve the community neighbors who are in need regardless of race, gender, religion, or disability.

As of 2008, CCA has developed and approved a business plan to guide its future for the next three years. The plan provides strategic direction for its future and a foundation for short-term goals and objectives. The plan is updated annually. Copies are available upon request.

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Financial information about this organization and a copy of its licenses are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at (919) 807-2214. This license is not an endorsement by the State.

Christian Community In Action is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Christian Community In Action is a member of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Stores (NARTS).

Christian Community In Action is a member of the Cary Chamber of Commerce.