KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — Killeen Creators, a well-known community garden-based nonprofit that has provided residents with food, art, and essential services since 2020, is now fighting for its survival.
Executive Director Kristin Wright has been tracking government cutbacks to social services since late January, but the crisis escalated when she received official communication from AmeriCorps on April 16 confirming that 80% of its funding would be eliminated. The impact on Killeen Creators is devastating —without intervention, the nonprofit’s staff will shrink to just one-tenth of its current size, with only one or two employees remaining full-time.
The uncertainty has placed immense stress on Wright and her team, as they grapple with questions about their job security and financial stability. “Will their bills be paid this month? Do they need to start looking for something else? These are the kinds of worries my team is dealing with every day,” she said.
Since learning of the cuts, Wright has been aggressively seeking alternatives. She’s currently applying for around $1 million in city, state, and national grants in an effort to keep the organization afloat. One of those applications, a five-year clubhouse model grant, would cover all of Killeen Creators’ AmeriCorps funding and allow operations to continue.
“I would say for the past two weeks, every other day, I’ve had different emails—kind of being told, ‘Oh I think you’re safe,’ ‘Oh, I think they’re cutting it,’” Wright explained.
Even as she awaits grant approvals, Wright has prepared six or seven different budget plans for the summer, based on all possible government cuts. Additional donations have come in from supporters, alongside 50 regular rotating donors who have kept the nonprofit’s programs alive.
The possible closure of Killeen Creators isn’t just an organizational loss, it would have a grave impact on residents who rely on its resources. “This is a food desert. People depend on these gardens,” said Jackie Hewitt, an AmeriCorps employee. Hewitt, who credits Killeen Creators with helping her rebuild her life after prison and addiction, sees the nonprofit as a beacon of hope. “It means a new beginning to me,” she shared.
For Wright, despite the uncertainty, one thing remains clear: Killeen Creators’ mission is too important to give up on. “Killeen Creators means to me, we the people of Killeen, are here to create—ourselves, our relationships, our community,” she said.
