By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Updates and Status page on SNAP, WIC, & MFIP from Rice County – Read More
For the last several weeks, while the Federal Government has been shut down and funding for SNAP Benefits has been frozen, in Rice County, the Community Action Center (CAC) has stepped up as much as they can, helping provide food for 4,000 people at its three food shelf locations. Outgoing Executive Director of the CAC, Scott Wopata, stated that while the Congress has reached a deal and passed funding measures to reopen the government, that doesn’t mean that their job is done:
“As much as it seems like there’s some positive news about the government reopening and other things, it doesn’t put a meal on the table today.” – Scott Wopata, Executive Director of the Community Action Center on KYMN In The Morning
And that through the consistently changing news, the CAC has strived to remain as available as possible:
Listen to the News:
“But at this point, our role is to be a consistent rock in the community for them to be really clear about what people can expect from us and then just to respond as abundantly as we can.” – Scott Wopata, Executive Director of the Community Action Center on KYMN In The Morning
Wopata said they have purchased about $50,000 in extra food so far in November and are looking to maintain higher levels of food as long as needed, with a goal to raise $100,000 in November. Part of their funding has been supplemented by a $25,000 donation from Rice County.
Wopata noted that it is most impactful for people to donate money, as the CAC is able to make wholesale purchases with the funds:
“And so if you donate a dollar’s worth of food, that’s going to be a dollar of impact. And if you donate an actual dollar, we can kind of generate 6 times that. And so that’s our big ask right now is to really get the funds. Our ceiling in terms of our limit to provide resources to the community is not limited by space or time. It’s really truly limited by money and our ability to get resources to purchase food.” – Scott Wopata, Executive Director of the Community Action Center on KYMN In The Morning.
Wopata thanked the community for all the support it has consistently given, noting that it takes decades to build up the volunteer and donor base, and community trust that the CAC has with Northfield.
You can donate to the CAC on their website https://communityactioncenter.org/donate/ or by delivering a check to the Community Action Center, Administration Office 1651 Jefferson Parkway, Suite HS-200, Northfield, MN 55057
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