Capitol Federal® & Community Action Opens the 'CapFed® Community Care Station' At 29th and Wanamaker
September 22, 2020
TOPEKA, KS - Capitol Federal® and Community Action, a local poverty-fighting non-profit, have developed an innovative solution for helping struggling Topeka families access vital economic and basic need supports, while limiting direct, person-to-person contact. The “CapFed® Community Care Station”, located at 2915 SW Wanamaker Road, opens April 8 and will provide four lanes of drive-up service for completing social service applications, a secure area to safely transfer food and care packages and private, disinfected office suites for computer-related functions.
Tawny Stottlemire, Executive Director of Community Action, said, “As it became clear the coronavirus was going to put thousands of people out of work and the safety of our community would depend on strictly limiting personal interactions, we knew we would have to get creative to ensure Topekans had access to the supports and sense of hope they’d need.” She added, “When the idea of drive-through services came up, we immediately thought of partnering with Capitol Federal at the available Wanamaker facility. It has four drive-through lanes, is on a fixed Topeka Metro bus route and is near a number of essential services.”
John B. Dicus, CEO of Capitol Federal said, “Capitol Federal is proud to be able to donate our available Wanamaker South building to such a worthy, important and crucial cause to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. By utilizing the drive-thru lanes, the CapFed® Community Care Station will be a safe, one-stop shop for those needing assistance during these difficult times. We applaud and thank Community Action, and all the partner agencies involved in the pop-up station, for supporting and creating a stronger Topeka community.”
Community Action is coordinating use of the CapFed® Community Care Station by a variety of area social and human service organizations. Stottlemire noted that agencies such as Let’s Help, Kansas Legal Services, Community Resources Council, Health Access, and others, are already exploring ways to schedule appointments, complete applications and distribute information and basic needs items from the Station. “While almost everything at the CapFed® Community Care Station will be done through advanced appointment times, one drive-through lane will remain open just for customers seeking basic information. With a large number of human service organizations actively collaborating, we hope to save people a lot of time and frustration trying to get around town and figure out where help might be available,” Stottlemire said.
Joining Capitol Federal and Community Action to underwrite and support the CapFed® Community Care Station are the United Way of Greater Topeka, the Topeka Community Foundation and Community Resources Council. Still, Stottlemire fears the level of need will severely outweigh the resources available. “We will all be feeling the devastating impacts of the pandemic for months, if not years,” she says. “Lower-income families are, and will continue to be particularly hard-hit. So far, Topeka’s people and businesses have been very kind and we know a lot of people want to help.” She noted that in addition to driving through to receive services, community members are also invited to drive through with financial contributions. The facility can accept cash, checks and credit card donations.
The CapFed® Community Care Station will have the hours of:
Monday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Additional information and appointments are available by calling Community Action at (785) 836-4500.
