Park City Christian Center programs show major expansion in 2024 report

The Christian Center of Park City team. Photo: Christian Center of Park City

PARK CITY, Utah — The Christian Center of Park City (CCPC) marked 2024 with significant expansion across its social services, counseling programs, and community outreach initiatives, while welcoming new leadership to guide its mission of transformative assistance in Summit and Wasatch counties, according to year-end date release by the organization.

The nonprofit organization reported growth in multiple areas: serving more than 43,000 people through its food pantries, increasing mental health services by double digits, providing holiday support to over 2,000 children, and strengthening its environmental partnership with the Goshute Tribe.

The center’s new executive director, Steve Richardson, arrived this year to lead the organization’s three-pronged mission focusing on volunteer engagement, community collaboration, and transformative assistance.

“I loved my ministry as an Air Force chaplain, especially assisting and advocating for younger Airmen and their families,” said Richardson, who moved to Park City with his wife, three adult sons and their dog. His previous experience included organizing holiday meals and gift programs for military families.

The organization reported significant growth in its counseling services, with adolescent sessions increasing 32% and child sessions rising 19%. Male participation grew 29%, while Spanish-language sessions increased 13%.

From January through September 2024, the center’s retail operations processed more than 20,000 donations and completed nearly 24,000 transactions, generating $491,893 for community programs. Of that amount, approximately $114,000 went toward preventing evictions.

The center’s food security programs reached deeply into the community. The Park City Food Pantry served 25,409 individuals, including 5,911 children, while the Heber Food Pantry assisted 18,430 people. A mobile pantry program served an additional 4,353 individuals through 31 events across Summit and Wasatch counties.

The organization’s youth programs provided significant support during key times of need. The Back 2 School Basics program furnished clothing store gift cards to 1,358 students, including 50 from the Goshute Nation. During the holidays, Operation Hope provided presents to 2,129 children across the region.

The center also expanded its Native American outreach, partnering with the Goshute Tribe on water conservation efforts. Following a successful scrap metal cleanup that removed one ton of toxic materials from the tribe’s aquifer, volunteers helped construct protective fencing around springheads in tribal hunting grounds.