Community Action Partnership

The thrill of arriving on the first day of school prepared and ready to learn can be a struggle for some students.  Of the 3,190 students who attend LPS, 21% fall below the Federal Poverty line. (670) (stats IES/NCES website) There is a continued need for the kids who represent this statistic.  Studies have shown that learning outcomes are greater in kids who are engaged and positive about the learning experience.  An article in The 74 Million estimated the cost of supplies has climbed by 25% between the fall of 2022 and the fall of 2023. (8-13-23)

“For students whose families cannot afford supplies, coming to school unprepared can create social and emotional challenges in addition to putting kids at a disadvantage of learning.” (School Supply Gap, Teach for America. Org, 9-8-19)    

Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska has been addressing a portion of this gap for years.  We attempt to assist low-income families with supplementing their back-to-school expenses through backpacks and supplies.  Martha Draskovic in the Lexington office has coordinated fundraisers and supply drives to attempt to curb the cost of providing these supplies.

2017: 302 distributed

2018: 315 distributed

2019: 255 distributed

2020: 300 distributed

2021: 300 distributed

2022: 300 distributed

2023: 318 distributed

In addition to this project, Martha coordinates the Salvation Army annual fund drive and distributes a portion of those funds.   She is the central navigator of Lexington Ministerial funds and oversees the Lexington Food Pantry.  In the past year, she has distributed over 36,000 pounds of Farmers to Families Produce boxes in addition to rent and utility assists and 903 food pantries to 499 unduplicated clients.  

For more information, please visit:

www.communityactionmidne.com