There are a great many Lancaster County nonprofits seeking to fulfill basic needs. But there's so much more to life than bare necessities.

Not only does Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County (CAPLC) want its clients to survive, but the nonprofit also wants them to thrive.

"There are folks in our community who are living with low incomes," said Kristy Aurand, who's been CAPLC's chief development officer for eight years. "When any one group of people do better, we all do better. Every person has value, and we're all members of the same community. We get to do this work, and we hope that everyone sees this work as important, not just the people receiving our services. Lancaster County is a strong community, but we know that not everyone is benefiting from the growth and development. It's all of our responsibilities to be a part of that."

Headquartered at 601 S. Queen St., Lancaster, CAPLC operates under the motto of "People. Empowered." The organization serves its clients through 10 distinct programs in four focus areas - early education, health and nutrition, household stability and safety empowerment. With satellite offices at 560 S. Reading Road, Ephrata, and 400 Chestnut St., Columbia, CAPLC offers individuals services through its Thrive to Five program, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), nutrition education, senior centers, food distribution, utility assistance, Early Learning Resource Center, RISE (Resilient. Inspired. Strong. Empowered.), Crispus Attucks Community Center and domestic violence services.

"I think we do have a unique opportunity," said Aurand. "Each of these 10 programs has its own whys and whats. For the participants, the net that's cast is pretty wide. If people are coming to us for one service, they might have a need for another service. We can do a lot of it here, but it's not exhaustive. Our employees also know what else is out there."

According to an American Community Survey, the poverty rate in Lancaster County was 8.2% in 2023, meaning 44,195 Lancaster County residents were living below the federal poverty level. In that same year, CAPLC served 45,609 individuals, almost entirely from Lancaster County, and distributed over 880,000 pounds of food to local pantries.

"These are folks who, for whatever reason, find themselves living with low incomes," said Aurand. "Most of our programs are income qualifying; some are not. We want to get folks to thriving. We want to see that the resources we are providing are making a difference and lifting their families. It all comes back to economics. These resources are really adding to a person's economic portfolio. We all have goals for our families."

The operation of CAPLC relies on the work of 300 employees, more than 33,000 volunteer hours annually and about 300 local partnerships. CAPLC is funded through the federal community services block grant program, as well as private and business donations.

"Collaboration is so important," said Aurand. "It's one of the founding blocks of community action. We can't do it all. The collaboration is really, really deep and for the full benefit of the community."

"I truly believe that the best part of it is being able to work with a group of people every day who are committed to moving the mission forward," Aurand added. "Even though our roles may be different, that's what we're all working toward."

One of more than 1,000 branches nationally, Community Action Partnership was founded in Lancaster County in 1966. The national program was established by the Economic Opportunity Act partly through the stated initiative, "It is the policy of the United States to eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty in this nation."

"In the 1960s, the Lyndon Johnson administration launched the war on poverty," said Aurand. "That's what community action grew out of. It came from the idea that poverty exists in the midst of plenty."

For additional information about Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County, go to http://www.caplanc.org.