About
Founded in 1988, Family Care Center of Catawba Valley, Inc. serves homeless families with dependent children through an emergency residential program.
We offer physical, emotional, social, and educational services to assist families in the transition to becoming self-sufficient. The Center, founded on Judeo-Christian principles, ministers to all persons without discrimination.
The Family Care Center opened in 1988 when the Hickory Soup Kitchen saw many homeless families with children needing food and shelter. Local churches provided initial support, and Family Care Center of Catawba Valley incorporated in 1993. We continue to receive spiritual and financial support from the faith community, remembering the words from Matthew: “I was a stranger and you took me in.”
We have grown from two rooms in one building serving six families a year to 19 housing units in the Catawba Valley serving approximately 70 families with over 100 children per year. These families are exchanging an unstable, often hostile environment for a safe and secure home. Even with this growth, we turn away about one-half of our applicants, largely due to lack of space.

Board of Directors
President
Mr. Todd Byrd – Hickory, NC
President-Elect
Rev. Paul Christy-Hickory, NC
Secretary
Mr. Ron Valentini – Hickory, NC
Treasurer
Ms. Mary Morrison – Hickory, NC
Past-President
Ms. Constance Snyder– Hickory, NC.
Board
Mr. Dan Collinson – Hickory, NC
Ms. Nan Huegerich – Hickory, NC
Ms. Marsha Diamonti – Hickory, NC
Mr. Jeffrey White – Hickory, NC
Mr. Matt Jenkins – Maiden, NC
Ms. Melissa Yang – Hickory, NC
Ms. Marian Erikson – Hickory, NC
Mr. Kevin McIntosh – Hickory, NC
Ms. Lela Thompson – Hickory, NC
Staff
Jane Earnest, Executive Director
fcc@familycare-center.org
Jennifer Clark, Business Manager
jclark@familycare-center.org
Stephanie Parks, Family Services Social Worker
sparks@familycare-center.org
Lamar Shelly, Maintenance Director
828-324-9917