Mahube-Otwa celebrates 50 years

Fifty years ago, an idea began that would change the lives of thousands of people in the area.

The idea was to help eliminate poverty - the name eventually became known as Mahube-Otwa. Under this non-profit organization, programs were formed to help those in need.

Some of those programs would provide help in things like preschool, housing, energy assistance, senior programs, family health and more.

When President Lyndon Johnson gave his first State of the Union address in 1964, he declared a war on poverty. When he did, community action agencies across the country were formed with the goal to figure out how to combat poverty.

Some of those agencies came from Becker, Hubbard and Mahnomen counties, which came together for the first time in 1965.

Seven programs were launched the first year, beginning with the Multi-County Nursing Service, which provided public health services to children, infants, the mentally ill and homecare for the sick and elderly.

Through a variety of federal grants, the organization would continue to grow as its employees discovered new ways to help those in need.

Head Start would turn into a school-year program and expanded. Mahube would continue to evolve.

In 2000, Leah Pigatti took over as executive director of Mahube. She was a familiar face to the organization, as she had worked in it since 1978.

"I was a home-based teacher in Akeley and Nevis," said Pigatti, who had previously taught in Park Rapids. Her new job with Mahube likely came with its own set of challenges, but they paled in comparison to what Pigatti experienced.

"At the end of the day, I went home feeling good about what I did. I felt like we really made a difference in the lives of people," she said.

It's that feeling that has kept Pigatti going forward with Mahube, which continued to further its outreach with over $3 million in new grant funding through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.

Programs were enhanced and new ones formed. But it was in 2012 when Mahube expanded its physical reach as well. The Otter Tail/Wadena Community Actions Board dissolved its agency to become a part of Mahube.

The five-county organization would then be known as Mahube-Otwa, and the merger would bring about yet more programs.

With Pigatti still at its helm, Mahube-Otwa now prepares to celebrate 50 years of helping people. It celebrates the 43 different programs that run under nine different areas of public assistance.

It also celebrates the 135 employees who help make the organization turn, as well as the countless employees that have worked for it over the years.

"We provide so many services to people that I don't think others really even realize," said Pigatti of the large impact the organization has throughout the region.

"I mean, we provide energy assistance to 7,000 households now, and who would really know that about somebody that you know or work with?" Pigatti says for her and many other employees, the most rewarding aspect of the job is when they're able to work one-on-one with clients.

"Our mission is to empower people to become self-sufficient, and I think with some of the case-management programs where we're able to work with people one-on-one, we're able to see more of those long-term benefits," she said.

However, Pigatti also says those short-term benefits can also be life-changers for people in need.

"I can think, 'I'm so glad we were able to provide food to a family just for this month because I know they really needed it,' or 'I'm really glad we could help pay for an emergency hotel voucher for the weekend until that family can figure something out.' Those moments are very rewarding as well," said Pigatti.

To help celebrate the power Mahube-Otwa has to help those in need, it is holding a series of open house celebrations at each of the five county locations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The first will be held in Wadena Thursday, June 4, at 311 Jefferson Street S.