Focusing Locally on Our Neighbors and Friends

Neighbors and Friends,

We can all agree that asking for help is hard. It may be surprising to you to learn that more than 35% of people in Northfield and Faribault* are asking for help and assistance at Community Action Center (CAC). What can we learn from these friends and neighbors? How are we doing as a community when 15,000 people in Rice County are asking for help, half of them children under the age of 18? What can their stories teach us?

It’s hard to imagine, statistically, that you can live in our community without knowing many people who are accessing support at CAC. Yet, you might find yourself surprised by these figures. Or you might be someone who has accessed support at CAC and find yourself surprised that others are surprised. This surprising disconnect between neighbors and friends has stoked my curiosity and inspired this series of letters where we’ll ask and explore our shared curiosity together.

1. How many people need help in our community? (next week)
2. Why do so many people need help? (mid November)
3. Who is responsible for providing this level of support? (end of November)

Throughout the coming weeks, I’ll be exploring each of these questions in a letter to all of you, starting in the coming days with our first question: How many people need help in our community? Beyond the sound bites and typical nonprofit jargon is a substantive conversation. After reading this and future letters, you are welcome to email your thoughts and questions directly to me at gro.retnecnoitcaytinummoc@ttocs.atapow. I’ll share and incorporate themes from your responses in upcoming letters to encourage further community conversations. Perhaps you’ll be surprised to learn something new about your friends, your neighbors, and your community.

In this introduction to the series, please let me introduce myself. As the Executive Director of CAC for the past 6+ years, I wear many hats including CFO, social worker, community organizer, housing developer, and sustainability officer among other roles. Personally, I consider myself an economist, reviewing tradeoffs and (un)intended consequences of programs and policies. I appreciate the balance of stories and data, values and return on investment, compassion and accountability. I am driven by a deep sense of curiosity and a deep level of appreciation and gratitude for our community.

I have lived here in Bridgewater Township for 20 years with my wife and 4 young children. I am a trail runner and a former carpenter, youth pastor, and high school soccer coach.

I hope that the data and stories of these letters help all of us focus locally to understand our neighbors a little more. Neighbors helping neighbors is our theme at CAC and I am inspired by the neighbors helping and the neighbors helped.

If you’re inspired to be part of this growing and collective community action, you can donate or volunteer today.

More soon,

Scott Wopata
Executive Director
Community Action Center

* based on CAC serving 15,705 unique individuals from 5,277 unique households in the past 12 months, which is 34.7% of the combined populations of Northfield (20,790) and Faribault (24,453)

CAC’s vitality depends on the community — from volunteers to donations to program-specific support — so that we can continue to meet our neighbors’ basic needs. Stay Connected