A Fresh Start

09/03/2026

A Fresh Start will be closed Saturday, September 5 and Monday, September 7 for Labor Day weekend.

We’ll be back to our regular schedule on Tuesday, September 8.

We hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday weekend!

09/02/2026

A huge THANK YOU to the wonderful sponsors who helped make our Be Kind, Rewind Bingo possible!

We are incredibly grateful to the WOW!Zone for once again welcoming us into their space and being such an accommodating and generous host.

And a special thank you to our game sponsors:

⭐ SouthPoint Financial Credit Union
⭐ True Real Estate – Rachel McGregor
⭐ Shawn Hendel
⭐ Lee & Wendell Sande

Your generosity helped make the event possible while supporting A Fresh Start’s mission of helping local individuals and families turn housing into a place that truly feels like home.

Thank you for showing up for A Fresh Start and for our community. We appreciate you more than you know!

Together, we are making a difference.

09/01/2026

📖 Chapter 4 of 22 – An Empty Room

Starting over can mean starting with almost nothing.

Beds. Bedding. Towels. Dishes. Furniture. Household basics.

For a family moving forward after homelessness, the cost of filling an empty home can quickly become overwhelming. Especially when rent, utilities, groceries, transportation, and everyday expenses are already stretching a limited budget.

One mother we served shared what that support meant to her and her three children:
“It was such a relief to know everyone would not be sleeping on the floor. Money is usually tight being a single mother and getting everyone’s needs met as soon as possible. But this program was literally a Godsend. This program has blessed me and my kids.”

An empty room can represent everything a family still needs.

But with the help of donors, volunteers, and this community, it can also represent possibility.

A place for a bed.
A place to gather.
A place to rest.
A place to begin again.

Together We Will.

Donate Today:
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/b84542e21
Venmo:

08/31/2026

📼✨ Be Kind, Rewind, Bingo was totally awesome! ✨📼

We had a great turnout yesterday, and we had an absolute blast! Thank you to everyone who came out, played bingo, laughed with us, dressed up, bought raffle tickets, and supported A Fresh Start.

A huge thank you to WOW!Zone for letting us use their space and for being so accommodating throughout the event. We appreciate you so much!

We also want to give a big shoutout to our bingo round sponsors, everyone who donated raffle items, our volunteers, and all of the people who helped behind the scenes to make the day happen.

We’re so grateful for everyone who continues to show up for A Fresh Start and support our mission.

Here are just a few of our favorite moments from the day! Feel free to share any photos you got below.

08/30/2026

Yum, these beautiful treats were donated by Sugar Belly (my favorite!) and will be raffle item #12 today at Bingo.

08/30/2026

Please spread the word.

Local nonprofit sets fundraising goal with future uncertain. Details in comments.

08/29/2026

We love Charlie, our intern, who is a senior at West High School. He is hardworking, smart, kind, fun, and adaptable! We have exhausted the grant that funded his position, so we are going to have to say goodbye to him. If you are looking for a great addition to your team, let us know and we will introduce you to him. Or, consider funding his position with us. 😁

08/29/2026

I’m going to start calling our Saturday AM crew “The Power Rangers”! A fun, focused and kind group got 3 client moves, 1 client pick up, 1 client prep, and 1 donation pick up done today. Plus, we got everything ready for tomorrow’s Bingo! Thank you to Charlie, Sherri, Todd, Rachel, Ryan, Jodi, Ashish, and Marlee. The VIP was baby Aylie,who is visiting her grandparents. She was our secret weapon for morale and general cuteness.

08/28/2026

🎬✨ TWO DAYS TO GO! ✨🎬

Be Kind, Rewind, Bingo is THIS SUNDAY and we can’t wait! 📼🕹️

If you’re planning to join us, please take a second to RSVP on the Facebook event so we can get a better idea of how many people to expect.

🚪 Doors open at 3 PM
🎱 Bingo starts at 4 PM
📍 WOW!Zone

Grab your friends, break out your best 80s look, and come spend Sunday afternoon with us!

See you Sunday!

08/27/2026

A message from our founder Amy.

Be part of the next chapter.
Gofundme: https://gofund.me/b84542e21
Venmo:
1420 North Riverfront Drive, Suite 102, Mankato