Bremer kicks off five years of Home For Good partnership with United Way
Yesterday, Bremer Bank was proud to host the fifth-anniversary kickoff for the Bremer Home For Good program at our Fargo branch in partnership with United Way of Cass-Clay. Together, volunteers and team members from each organization spent their day assembling 250 “Welcome Home kits” — care packages stock-full of essential household items — for people who are transitioning out of homelessness and into stable, secure housing, so they have what they need to settle into their new place with dignity and peace.
It can be difficult to imagine fellow community members in the place you love and call home experiencing homelessness. But unfortunately, like many other cities across the U.S., Fargo is not immune to the current public health crisis of homelessness. On any given night, more than 1,000 of our local neighbors here in Cass and Clay counites experience homelessness, with approximately 200 of them being children. Similarly, one in nine local adults are currently living in poverty (defined as a family of four living on less than $31,200 per year), with one in seven children under the age of 5 also experiencing poverty.
Ensuring everyone has somewhere to rest their head at night requires care and action from our entire community. Fortunately, the Fargo-Moorhead region is home to some of the most passionate, hardworking helpers who have a fierce desire to get things done — and I was reminded of this during our event yesterday. In its fifth year of partnership with United Way, Bremer Home For Good has so far provided 2,750 Welcome Home kits, each filled with household essentials ranging from dining and kitchen utensils and dishwashing and home cleaning materials to personal hygiene items and bedroom accessories.
Our volunteers assembled 250 new kits in two days! This is an incredible kickoff to our 2024 campaign, where 700 kits total will be distributed to 45 Bremer locations. One hundred of these kits will be distributed to folks in the Fargo-Moorhead area, thanks to support from local nonprofits Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership (CAPLP), Churches United, Presentation Partners in Housing, SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY, and YWCA Cass Clay.
It is the trusted partnership with local nonprofits that is truly critical to ensuring these Bremer Home For Good kits reach as many people as they can to maximize their full use and impact. And our partnership with United Way has been equally as important.
As a dual Bremer leader and United Way board member, I know Bremer Home For Good is the perfect fusion of each organization’s mission; United Way’s to help people access stable housing for themselves and their families, and Bremer’s to cultivate thriving communities. Both unwaveringly believe that every family deserves a place to call home with the resources they need to create a safe, warm and stable place to live. Through these kits — and through shared expertise, continuous support and thoughtful collaboration — we are one step closer to making this a permanent reality for everyone.
Banking Professional
9moBremer has always been really good at giving back to the community.