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About Western Community Action
Imagine living in a poverty-free community. Imagine living in a place where no child grows up poor or hungry or living in unsafe conditions. Imagine that every individual and every family is valued, respected, and living in an atmosphere of hope. Imagine vibrant communities where no one is left to struggle alone. Wouldn’t you want to live in such a place?
Western Community Action opened its doors on July 29, 1965, the same year that Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. Mirroring what was happening at the National and State Levels, WCA became a local testing ground for anti-poverty initiatives and started dreaming its own dream of helping people, changing lives, and eliminating poverty in Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Jackson and Cottonwood counties in southwest Minnesota.
Some of the first WCA initiatives designed to help people in need were so successful they lasted for many years, grew, and even became part of the fabric of the community. It is surprising to realize how instrumental WCA was, and still is, to the establishment of life-changing programs we take for granted today.
While the needs of the many communities WCA serves vary from one location to the next, a consistent focus for every community includes meeting the basic needs of providing food and clothing; emergency housing assistance; medical needs; education and mentoring for children, youth, and families; transportation services; and also providing affordable, warm and stable housing.
Western Community Action hopes to move beyond merely providing “social services” and embodies the vision of President Johnson’s War on Poverty whereby Community Action Agencies act as advocates speaking out on behalf of those in poverty. Additionally, Western Community Action becomes a catalyst for mobilizing the community toward one common goal – helping people, changing lives, and eliminating poverty.
