Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
As Combined Community Services Executive Director Kiira Churchill looks back on 2025, one thing comes to her mind: growth.
“This past year, we saw incredible momentum. We saw increased hours, volunteer hours showing our community is stepping up to serve. We saw new donors joining the mission in hope and transformation,” she said during CCS’ Love Thy Neighbor Luncheon Thursday.
Behind the scenes, CCS focused on building financial stability to ensure CCS can continue to meet people’s needs today and in the future, she said.
Churchill noted copies of the 2025 annual report was on all the tables for attendees to look out. The report will also be online.
“But today, you get a first-hand view of the impact and the momentum driving our mission forward. Our desire remains simple, but powerful: To be the first place our neighbors turn when they need help. And when we cannot meet that need directly, we make sure they are connected to someone who can.” That is collaboration that involves loving our neighbors, she said.
Director of Emergency Assistance Tiffani McClanahan said CCS has provided over 9,000 food orders to families in the community. On their busiest day, CCS served 167 families.
In addition to food assistance, CCS also helped 134 families with utility assistance, “providing stability in very difficult times,” she said.
“This work is only possible because of people who care. We’re blessed to have an incredible group of volunteers who show up faithfully, work hard and truly care about the people we serve,” McClanahan said.
Other events CCS puts on includes Tools for School, a coat drive, the Glass Slipper event, Adopt a Family and Toy Time. McClanahan said all of these events are different but share the same purpose: supporting families and strengthening the community.
Director of Self-Sufficiency Sabrina Phillips shared what has gone on with the self-suffiency program at CCS.
“At the heart, self-sufficiency is about more than assistance, it’s about restoring dignity. It’s about creating patterns. It’s about walking alongside families until they can stand firmly on their own,” she said.
In 2025, “we served 31 adults and 42 children through our programs,” she said. Through faithful stewardship and generous community support, CCS was able to secure funding to strengthen the self-sufficiency funds, which became opportunities for people.
Phillips said the number of people CCS has been able to help through its self-sufficiency program aren’t just numbers, they’re parents, children and families. Looking ahead, she said CCS is looking at expanding financial literary workshops. She said self-sufficiency isn’t just about income. It’s about stability, identity and hope.
“Together, we are just not meeting needs, we are building futures,” she said.
Churchill said CCS revisited its strategic plan last year and evaluated what was and wasn’t working. They clarified where the nonprofit was going and established measurable outcomes for 2026.
“Because impact isn’t just about activity, it’s about transformation. As we step into 2026, Combined Community Services is focused on three things: deeping the impact through our self-sufficiency program as Sabrina mentioned, helping those families gain skills and resources they need to thrive, not just survive; strengthening community partnerships because lasting change happens when we collaborate together; and work together maintaining financial stability and operating excellence so every effort we make stretches further for our neighbors. We truly believe God has positioned CCS not just for growth in numbers but for growth in transformation, changing lives, strengthening families and breaking generational cycles. Just imagine a community where hope replaces fear, where opportunity replaces struggle and where families are empowered to write a new story for their future. That is the vision we are working for and it’s happening right hear, right now,” Churchill said.
Also during the luncheon, two awards were given out.
Karen Roberts received the Volunteer of the Year Award.
Churchill said Roberts is a volunteer in CCS’ food pantry. It’s not just her consistency in her volunteering that makes her remarkable, it’s her compassion she brings to greeting everyone with dignity and supports the team with a joyful servant’s heart.
Core Mechanical Services received the Neighbor of the Year Award.
The award recognizes a business that lives out community care in meaningful tangible ways. When Core Mechanical Services learned CCS’ back loading dock was broken, “a repair that was going to be very costly and critical to our daily operations,” Churchill said, Core Mechanical Services didn’t hesitate. In partnership with Lewis Salvage, within a few weeks, CCS had a new loading dock installed.
