COMMUNITY ACTION. West CAP, an independent anti-poverty organization serving a seven-county stretch in western Wisconsin – including Chippewa and Dunn counties – formed under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Folks often don't know about West CAP unless, or until, they are in need of the organization's services. (Submitted photos)

“West CAP is the best kept secret in seven counties,” said Tim Mather, executive director of West Central Wisconsin Community Action Agency, Inc. (CAP) .

Born out of the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act, Community Action Program (CAP) services are provided through local nonprofit organizations in their respective communities. Today, CAP's myriad of services include housing assistance, adult education, food access and resources, energy assistance, and more.

West CAP’s mission – not dissimilar to other CAPs across the nation – is to take action against poverty by developing the social and economic assets of low-income families and their communities, working to create a more just and sustainable society.

Folks don't often learn about the longtime nonprofit unless they are in need of its services, Mather noted. However, in 2024 alone, over 40,000 individuals called on and received West CAP’s support.

On Friday, Nov. 14, West CAP will host its first-ever fundraising event and bring together live music and entertainment to the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie.

“The federal government recognizes they can’t operate (CAP services) at the local level,” Mather explained. “It boils down to CAP knowing what’s going on in their own backyards; to administer those federal programs at the local level. We have a finger on the pulse of our communities.”

West CAP organized the first area-wide commodity distribution – the program that later evolved into The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) – in 1982, out of Glenwood City. 

West CAP’s primary service area includes Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties (though it is not uncommon for West CAP to also serve surrounding counties such as Eau Claire, Burnett, and Washburn).

The organization’s food access and resource services are the most sought out of its programs. In 2024, West CAP aided over 19,000 individuals in need of food-specific support.

Its various services under that category include food pantry support (West CAP’s own food pantry is located in Boyceville), the “Backpack Meal Program” for low-income students, farmers market voucher distribution, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for seniors, among others.

Mather also pointed to the organization’s long-standing affordable housing efforts, which have resulted in hundreds of new housing units over just the past decade. Following its food-related services, West CAP is sought out most for its energy assistance efforts.

In the City of Eau Claire, those efforts resulted in the opening of Prairie Heights (3277 Birch St.), a 60-unit rental development with significant sustainability features (its cutting-edge entry systems cover 100% of the building’s utilities, lessening the financial burden on residents).

The project, which broke ground in 2023 — in collaboration with Gerrard Corporation — officially opened its doors this past summer. Featuring one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, open to those households which earn between 30%-80% of the county median income, the development also hit several sustainability points.

West CAP is a formally designated Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) and has helped create and supported many affordable housing projects, including the new Prairie Heights development in Eau Claire, pictured above.

With such significant community projects and longstanding initiatives, part of West CAP's under-the-radar status is due to its public fundraising pushes – or lack thereof. West CAP has never held a signature or fundraising event, Mather said.

In celebration of West CAP’s 60th anniversary, that streak will come to a close.

On Friday, Nov. 14, West CAP will host its first-ever fundraiser event and bring together live music and entertainment to the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie.

West CAP has supported folks through energy assistance since the mid 1980s, including solar installation and education.

Historically, West CAP has leaned on state and federal government funding, which has accounted for roughly 80% of its annual funding in recent years, to provide its services. As grant opportunities both dwindle and become increasingly competitive, the local organization hopes to bolster additional community support, Mather explained.

All monies raised through the 60th anniversary event will directly benefit West CAP’s food pantry operations, which currently support communities across 10 western Wisconsin counties.

Anniversary event attendees can expect familiar favorites Home Grown Tomatoes to rock the theater with decades-themed live music; the Menomonie Theater Guild will bring West CAP’s 60-year history to life on stage; and New York Times Bestseller Michael Perry will also make an appearance.

“We’re celebrating our accomplishments and focusing on having a good time, while sprinkling in some of our history,” Mather said.

Learn more about West CAP online at westcap.org/. West CAP's 60th anniversary celebration and fundraiser event is slated for Friday, Nov. 14 from 7-9pm at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (205 Main St. E, Menomonie,). Tickets ($33/person including fees) to are available online at www.mabeltainter.org/schedule/westcap.