How Panhandle Community Services Began

Concerned about the crippling effect of poverty in area neighborhoods, interested citizens initiated the formation of the Potter-Randall Citizens Committee. Focusing on community development, this committee began searching for resources to help meet community needs. Shortly thereafter, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was passed by the Johnson Administration with the express purpose of combating poverty in the United States. 

In 1965, via the Economic Opportunity Act, a grant was awarded to the Potter-Randall Citizens Committee for the formation of a Community Action Agency. The Community Council of Potter and Randall Counties, a private, non-profit agency, was subsequently chartered by the State of Texas. After the hire of an executive director and a secretary, the agency opened its doors to the public on November 1, 1966.

As the agency grew, its services began to reach beyond Potter and Randall Counties. As a result, the Community Council of Potter and Randall Counties changed its name in 1974 to the Texas Panhandle Community Action Corporation, and again in 1985 to Panhandle Community Services. Many programs and activities that were initiated and nurtured under Panhandle Community Services eventually became separate entities or were assumed by other organizations. Programs like Meals on Wheels, Headstart, Emergency Services, and the First Time Homebuyers Program got their start through community action funding. 

Today, Panhandle Community Services has 14 service centers across the region. The strategic placement of each office enables PCS to serve all 26 counties in the upper Texas Panhandle. The history of PCS is as much about what we have done as it is about what we are doing now. Our agency offers assistance to a wide variety of individuals and families through the implementation of multiple services and programs. Click on our services tab above to discover all Panhandle Community Services has to offer.