Lincoln woman packs a ‘mom van’ for families during government shutdown

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — One woman is driving forward with a community project build on compassion, hoping to make a difference.

After a tornado tore through the state in 2024, Kristi Cadenbach started the “All About Mama” project.

“I’ve realized sometimes you just need to meet people where they’re at and think outside the box of what needs need to be filled,” she said.

Now, she drives around Lincoln collecting donations in what she’s calling her “Mama Van.”

It’s all in an effort to help support families and military groups during the government shutdown.

“I’m not going to sit back and wait for an answer to see if the government opens up or not. I’m just going to act,” Cadenbach said.

But it hasn’t been easy. She said it’s mostly just her doing the loading, sorting and delivering.

But the generosity of the community keeps growing.

That’s why she’s teaming up with local businesses to collect and deliver donations, including Sower Books, who is taking in items for the Food Bank of Lincoln.

“When Tori saw that I was doing this, she immediately reached out and said, ‘I’m already doing this, but I love this, come and park in front of my shop,'” Cadenbach said.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln bookstore taking donations for those in need during the government shutdown

And it’s personal for her when it comes to helping out those in the military.

“As a military spouse, I have a connection with that,” she said. “If their future paychecks are not given to them on a normal timeline, then we will be supporting them here in Lincoln.”