Nebraska For Us and Youth Mart hold drive, collect hundreds of supplies to benefit young adults

On Thursday, September 26, Nebraska For Us and Youth Mart joined forces—with the support of Pause Coffee Shop in Ralston—to accept hundreds of donated items benefiting Youth Mart. For more than a decade, its mission has been to provide cost-free goods and services for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system and are beginning the next chapter of their lives.

“When we talk about the foster care system, the focus tends to only be on those who are currently housed under the care of a foster family,” Youth Mart Program Director Morgan Rye-Craft said. “What’s often not considered is what happens to those young adults who are trying to navigate the world without that added support system many of us might take for granted.”

Youth Mart began serving the Omaha metro in 2012 and collaborates with a host of nonprofits and organizations that seek to help our community. Frequently needed items include toilet paper, pillows, socks, hygiene items, toothbrushes, toothpaste, kitchen utensils, and more. A full list of high-need items can be found here.

Meanwhile, Nebraska For Us continues to shine a spotlight on issues affecting working class and middle income Nebraskans while also educating the public on economic policies at the federal level that can make a real difference in people’s lives. Specifically, federal tax policy plays an outsized role for Nebraskans at lower income levels compared to their wealthier counterparts.

“Nebraska For Us is proud to lend a helping hand to an organization that works day in and day out to support people in our community who are just beginning adulthood,” Nebraska For Us State Director Angie Lauritsen said. “The mission of Youth Mart goes hand in hand with the work we do by advocating for working class and middle income Nebraskans who are living paycheck to paycheck.”

Nebraska For Us is calling attention to current tax policy that, thanks to the 2017 GOP Tax Law, disproportionately benefits massive corporations over working families, middle income professionals, and small businesses. Instead of passing on savings to hardworking Nebraskans, large corporations receiving disproportionately favorable tax cuts have jacked up prices and raked in massive profits at a time when people are living paycheck to paycheck. With those provisions expiring next year, it’s important to begin discussing solutions to build a fairer tax system.

Nebraska For Us is an economic advocacy and policy organization focused on Congressional District 2. We believe it is important to hold community events and forums, while also opening up a dialogue for members of our community to lift up their voices on subjects of economic importance for working class and middle income Nebraskans.