When Grace Community Church pastor Karl Leuthauser first arrived in Montrose, a local realtor took him on what he called the “Un-Chamber of Commerce tour,” basically the areas of town a real estate agent might not want you to see.
They drove through neighborhoods the realtor said most people didn’t see — places facing heavy need and families who were struggling financially.
“As we were driving around in this car… I just really felt the Lord urge in my heart of like do something,” Leuthauser said.
That impulse became the seed of a ministry that began with volunteers hauling a projector into trailer parks for movie nights and pizza. It later grew into building projects, clothing giveaways, and steady relationship-building in neighborhoods like the one around Cottonwood Elementary.
“We built that swing set they have there and some fencing and grasses,” he said. The early effort was called Extending Grace.
But the bigger dream, which Leuthauser said he carried for more than a decade, was a permanent outreach center where people from the church could use their skills to serve the broader Montrose community.
“I had this idea of a Grace Center,” he said. “Originally the idea was more like a medical clinic… but the vision was the same: move people from the church into serving the community of Montrose.”
That idea is now a physical reality at the Grace Center, a growing, volunteer-driven resource hub in downtown Montrose. And the day-to-day work is led by Director Monica Baroz, who helped turn years of planning into a functioning support network for families trying to stay housed, fed, clothed and connected.
Preventing homelessness by helping people stay housed
Baroz said the Center’s mission is straightforward: meet practical needs before people end up unhoused or on the streets.
“What we try to do is work on helping those before they could become unhoused,” she said. “They must show a proof of residence that they have a home to live in.”
That approach fills a gap Baroz and Leuthauser see locally There are already resources for unhoused people, but not as much for those who are just a step or two away.
“There’s a number of homeless ministries,” Leuthauser said separately, “but there’s not a lot… to keep people in their homes. That’s the niche we’re trying to fill.”
Each month, the Center opens a window for small-scale financial assistance like help with rent or utilities. Applications are reviewed based on available donations and tithe funds. “We’ll help you one time a year,” Baroz said, noting there are occasional exceptions for more complex cases.
Food support focused on dignity
Food assistance at the Grace Center goes beyond handing out bags of canned goods.
“We look at providing meals as opposed to just giving you a bunch of groceries and taking it home,” Baroz said.
Guests choose from a simple menu — spaghetti and meat sauce, chili and cornbread, cereal or pancakes — and the team is developing freezer meals as a next step. Nothing offered is expired or damaged.
The Center also operates a clothing room, ranging from newborn sizes to adult winter coats. Families can select up to two outfits per visit. A volunteer even sews blankets, bags and small stuffed animals for kids who come through.
The need is noticeable, Baroz said when giving a tour of the facility to the MBT in November. “Last night we had just like over 30 families come in.”
Education and one-on-one support
A small education space sits at the back of the building, where volunteers help people with basic digital tasks — filling out job applications, studying for a GED, or even learning how to order groceries online.
Weekly workshops will launch in January, covering budgeting, cooking, home repair, and understanding insurance. “Do you even know what you’re buying with your car insurance or life insurance?” Baroz said.
The Center also hosts three volunteer counselors who offer free 50-minute sessions in a private “green room,” giving people space to share what’s going on in their lives. “We just want them to feel like they’re heard and cared about,” Baroz said.
A volunteer-powered operation
The Grace Center runs with only two paid employees — Baroz and one staff member, Elizabeth — and roughly 50 volunteers who sort donations, meet with clients, stock food, run workshops, sew clothing items, or help with counseling and applications.
“It’s been amazing,” Baroz said. “We have people that come in and donate and they just see what you do… and say, ‘How do we help?’”
Leuthauser hopes the Center becomes a steady outlet for church members to use their professional skills for the wider community — legal, medical, financial, counseling, and more. “I’d like to see more people from the church use that… to serve and give away what they have,” he said.
The Center operates as a 501(c)(5) nonprofit under Grace Community Church and is funded almost entirely through donations and tithes.
Holiday outreach and growing needs
As winter approached, Baroz said demand increased. Many recent visitors were immigrants, families who lost jobs, or residents struggling with rent and bills.
For Thanksgiving, the Center organized meal kits and helped coordinate turkey boxes assembled by Grace Community Church members. For Christmas, they’re running an angel-tree-style gift program, where families submit needs and church members sign up to purchase items.
Even with a new building, space is already tight. “We’ve got a three-year lease… she’s already saying, ‘Hey, we need more space,’” Leuthauser said.
A long-held dream put into practice
For Leuthauser, the Grace Center fulfills a promise he felt he made years ago. “Since then I’ve always had this idea… almost like a promise to God: this is what I’ll do,” he said. “Now the dream’s come to reality.”
The Grace Center
Address: 11 S. Park Ave, Montrose, CO 81401
Phone: (970) 901-6134
Hours (Pantry & Clothes Closet):
Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Wednesday: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
