A Fresh Start

📢 Volunteer Opportunity: Grant Writer Needed 📢

A Fresh Start is looking for a volunteer Grant Writer to help us continue serving individuals and families emerging from homelessness throughout Southern Minnesota.

As our organization grows, so does the need for funding to support furniture deliveries, household essentials, beds, and other items that help our clients turn a house into a home. We are seeking someone with grant writing experience who can help research funding opportunities and assist with grant applications.

✨ What you'll do:
• Research grant opportunities
• Assist with writing and submitting grant applications
• Help tell the story of A Fresh Start and the impact we make in our community
• Work remotely on a flexible schedule

Whether you're a seasoned grant writer, retired professional, or someone looking to use your skills to make a difference, we'd love to hear from you!

❤️ Your time and expertise could help us serve even more families as they rebuild their lives after homelessness.

Interested or know someone who might be a good fit? Send us a message, email us, or tag them in the comments!

🎳 STILL TIME TO REGISTER A TEAM! 🎳

Looking for a fun way to support your community while enjoying a night out with friends, family, or coworkers? Join us for the Home for the Holidays Bowl-A-Thon on Thursday, June 25th at WOW! Zone!

Form a team of up to 6 people, pick a holiday theme (if you'd like!), and get ready for an evening of:
🎳 Bowling
🏆 Friendly competition
🎭 Costume Contest
❄️ Holiday Trivia
🎉 Raffles & Prizes
❤️ Supporting two local organizations making a difference in our community

Whether you're a serious bowler or just in it for the fun, we'd love to have you join us!

📍 WOW! Zone – Mankato
⏰ Check-in: 5:00 PM | Bowling Starts: 5:30 PM
💲 Team Fundraising Goal: $500

Not a bowler? No problem! Come cheer on the teams, participate in raffles, trivia, and enjoy our picnic-style meal with a suggested $10 donation.

📲 Register today using the QR code on the flyer or contact us at:
📞 507-594-8493
📧 [email protected]

Help us fill the lanes and make a difference—every team helps support the missions of A Fresh Start and LSS Crisis Nursery – Mankato Area! 💙

🏠 Did you know?

Approximately 75% of the items we provide to clients come directly from community donations. The remaining 25% are purchased using financial donations to help fill the gaps when needed.

Every couch, bed, kitchen item, towel, lamp, and household essential helps someone take the next step after experiencing homelessness.

Before donating, please take a moment to review our updated list of items we can and cannot accept. We ask that all donated items be in clean, usable condition with no stains, tears, strong odors, excessive wear, or pet hair.

❤️ Your donations make it possible for individuals and families in our community to turn an empty space into a home.

📍 Donation Drop-Off Location:
1420 N. Riverfront Dr., Suite 102, Mankato

🕒 Donor Hours:
• Monday–Wednesday: 12–2 PM
• Thursday: 12–6 PM
• Saturday: 9 AM–Noon

Please note that accepted items may vary depending on our current inventory levels and available storage space.

Thank you for helping us serve those emerging from homelessness and giving our clients a true fresh start. 💙

Not interested in bowling? That's okay!

You can still join the fun by:
🎟️ Participating in trivia and drawings
📣 Cheering on the bowlers and enjoying the festivities
🌭 Enjoying our picnic-style meal with a suggested $10 donation

Every dollar raised helps support the missions of A Fresh Start and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota -Crisis Nursery.

Can't attend? You can still support the event by donating through Venmo or stopping by A Fresh Start during donor hours.

May 2026 Impact Report

May was a little quieter than some of our recent months, but every client served represents someone taking an important step forward after homelessness.

This month, A Fresh Start:
🏠 Served 17 clients
📦 Received 15 referrals
🚚 Completed 10 deliveries
🚗 Assisted with 7 pick-ups

So far in 2026, we've received 137 referrals and helped 100 clients furnish their homes and start fresh.

While referrals were a bit slower in May, the need continues. We currently have clients waiting for service and others moving through the referral process. Your donations, volunteer hours, financial support, and referrals ensure we're ready when those calls come in.

📣 We're Growing — And We're Looking for New Board Members!

A Fresh Start is seeking 3 passionate individuals to join our Board of Directors and help guide our organization into the future.

We're especially interested in people with experience in
✅ Accounting or Tax Preparation
✅ Event Planning
✅ Fundraising & Development

(But not required)

Most importantly, we're looking for individuals who believe in our mission of serving those emerging from homelessness and who are excited about helping A Fresh Start continue to grow and strengthen our impact throughout Southern Minnesota.

Board members play a vital role in supporting our mission, providing guidance, building community connections, and helping us create opportunities for the families we serve.

If you have a heart for helping others and skills that could benefit our organization, we'd love to hear from you!

Interested or know someone who might be a great fit? Send us a message, email us at [email protected], or tag them in the comments below.

Together, we can help more families build a fresh start. ❤️

We are honored to be featured by Voyage Minnesota! 💙

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about A Fresh Start and the work we do to help individuals and families emerging from homelessness turn empty spaces into homes.

This recognition belongs to our volunteers, donors, community partners, and supporters who make this work possible every day. We couldn't do it without you.

Take a few minutes to read our story and learn more about the impact we're making together.

📖 Read the article here:

Inspiring Conversations with Amanda Ochs of A Fresh Start Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Ochs. Amanda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?A Fresh Start was founded in 2020 by Amy Klugherz after seeing a major gap in support for individuals and families emerging from homelessness in...

We are so grateful for the donation of 15 handmade tie blankets created by members of Thrivent. These blankets will provide comfort, warmth, and a little extra kindness to the individuals and families we serve as they work toward a fresh start. ❤️

Register Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSergPXilaopRGoojlwE7ovvSj7Spx8KwRmy0UFExpcTNFoIdQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=112070923079980933969