MINOT, ND ( KXNET ) — Helping people and changing lives, that’s what Community Action has been doing for 50 years.

With their hands-on approach to attacking poverty both in Minot and around the country, their mission is simple: to give a helping hand where it’s needed.

“Our programs are all based on income and our mission statement is to basically assist someone who is in poverty and get them to the point where they are self-sufficient,” said Willy Soderholm, the executive director of Community Action of Minot.

With funding from the federal government, Community Action has been able to provide valuable services to the community that many might not even know about.

“We also have a housing assistance program where we can help people with rental assistance and we have a homeless veterans program that’s one of our core programs where we help a homeless veteran get into a home,” said Soderholm.

With over eight locations across North Dakota, Community Action is helping folks in the Magic City to get the resources they need to get back on their feet.

And, with children starting school soon, Community Action tries its best to serve the needs of families both big and small.

“So families that come in later for school and haven’t gotten their school supply things yet, we have that, we welcome them to come in and try to get as much as they can for what the kids need,” said Cindy Clark, the receptionist at Community Action of Minot.

Poverty often doesn’t look the same for everyone and Community Action knows that people’s struggles are never the same.

“We have farm families that are really struggling even to feed themselves. Well, people say they’re on the farm, they grow their own food, that doesn’t always mean anything,” said Clark.

Even in hard economic times those with Community Action say they always stand by their mission statement.

“Our mission is to get you to the point where you are self-sufficient again,” said Soderholm.

Other local programs helping families with school supplies are the Homeless Coalition, The Salvation Army, and the Matthew 25 Project.

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