There are more than 1,000 Community Action Agencies across the United States working toward a common goal of eliminating the causes and conditions of poverty.
May is National CommunityAction month and they invite residents to learn more about their local Community Action Agency-Northeast Nebraska Community Action Partnership (NENCAP) formerly known as Goldenrod Hills Community Action.
Starting out in 1966, NENCAP was a relatively small agency based out of Macy. Today, with a corporate office in Pender, the agency administers a broad spectrum of social services serving infants through the elderly in five satellite offices and four Head Start Centers across 14 counties in northeast Nebraska.
In 2024, more than 9,000 individuals were served. NENCAP is a private, non-profit social service agency leveraging programmatic financial support from federal, state, and local funding sources and is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors with representatives from the public, private, and low-income sectors from the 14 county service area.
What makes Community Action work? Community Action Agencies are unique in that specific funding gives CAA's the flexibility to design programs that address needs specific to individuals and local communities.
They administer Head Start, Weatherization, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Immunization Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Family Services, emergency rent/utility services, Food Pantries, Free Income Tax program, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and Healthy Families.
In addition to their 120 employees, they also rely on many volunteers to help carry out their mission: “People helping people improving lives in northeast Nebraska.”
The mission is carried out throughout their service which includes the following counties: Antelope, Burt, Cedar, Cuming, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Knox, Madison, Pierce, Saunders (WIC only), Stanton, Thurston, Washington and Wayne.
To learn more, please browse the website www.nencap.org. For specific program information, contact the central office at (402) 385-6300. They are the local Community Action Agency, “Helping People. Changing Lives.”
