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Ten families from Austin are receiving Welcome Home kits filled with household essentials through the Bremer Bank Home For Good initiative.

Made possible by Bremer’s partnership with Greater Twin Cities United Way, the collaboration will provide 700 Welcome Home kits to families and individuals transitioning from homelessness to stable housing, including those who experience socio-economic and/or racial disparities, throughout Bremer Bank’s footprint in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

The Bremer Home For Good initiative is in its fourth year and has impacted 2,750 families and individuals across the Upper Midwest. Each kit is filled with household essentials including dining and kitchen utensils, dishwashing and home cleaning materials, personal hygiene items, and bedroom accessories. Kits are then distributed to about 50 Bremer locations throughout Greater Minnesota, North Dakota, and western Wisconsin, who provide them to local nonprofits that will distribute them directly to individuals and families.

“Housing is a critical component in cultivating thriving communities,” said Bremer President and CEO Jeanne Crain. “Now in our fourth year, the Bremer Home For Good partnership with United Way has been a meaningful and actionable way for us to work elbow-to-elbow with our communities and provide immediate, tangible support to individuals transitioning to stable housing as they build their foundation for success.”

The Home For Good program is one way that Bremer leans into its philanthropic pillar of affordable housing as Bremer carries out its purpose, instilled in the company by its founder Otto Bremer, of cultivating thriving communities. Bremer Bank is celebrating 80 years of business this year.

“Between the continued housing crisis and the battle against tough economic conditions like inflation, homelessness continues to grow across Minnesota, disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander and People of Color,” said John Wilgers, president and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Impactful, long-standing partnerships with committed organizations like Bremer Bank are a critical tool in addressing these challenges. When paired with our housing work at United Way, we are getting one step closer in ensuring equitable access to safe, stable and affordable places for everyone to call home.”