Main Street Family Services in Elk River has been awarded a grant of $263,000 by the Sauer Family Foundation. These funds will go towards their new Family Resource Center in Big Lake.

Main Street Family Services was established in 2016 and serves individuals and families in and around Elk River. The focus of Main Street has been on providing services that support and guide individuals and families during challenging times.

The Family Resource Center will be a welcoming space that helps families navigate and access services within the community. It will be a host to support groups, family activities, and education with the goal of helping to nurture healthy relationships at home and in the community. 

The Family Resource Center is dedicated to providing information, referrals, advocacy, and assistance to their neighbors. Their goal is to help create stability for families by creating connections of support with schools, local services, community partners, corporate and government agencies, and faith communities. They help their neighbors meet their basic needs and provide skills and resources to achieve self-sufficiency. Together, they want a stronger, healthier, and connected community where every family flourishes.

“The Sauer Family Foundation is proud to support work that strengthens the well-being of children, youth and families in Minnesota,” says Colleen O’Keefe, the Executive Director of the Sauer Family Foundation. “We are excited to work with the community to create needed and lasting change.”

For more information regarding Main Street Family Services or the Family Resource Center, visit Main Street Family Services website at www.mainstreetfamilyservices.org.

About the Sauer Family Foundation

The Sauer Family Foundation (est. 1996) is a private foundation that serves children in Minnesota who are at-risk or experiencing abuse or neglect, exposed to toxic stress or trauma or have challenges developing reading, writing or math skills. The foundation also makes grants to diversify the workforce, so children see themselves reflected in the adults employed in education, social work, and children’s mental health. This includes support to schools and early childhood settings, non-profit and research organizations, government agencies, collaboratives, and networks.

For more information about the Sauer Family Foundation, visit www.sauerff.org.

About Main Street Family Services

Main Street Family Services is a community-based non-profit agency dedicated to providing multiple types of services including support groups, parenting skills, parent coaching, supervised visitation, training, and outpatient therapy. Main Street Family Services’ goal is to address the root causes of child abuse and neglect. When families are supported and have access to the things they need they know they will experience healing, restoration, and belonging at home and in the community. Their mission is to equip families with the solutions, resources, and practical strategies needed to thrive. 

It has been a dream of Main Street Family Services to be a hub of connection and resources for families in the community. They have known for a long time that when people struggle to access the support and services they need, children suffer. 

Opening the Family Resource Center is the next step in fulfilling their vision of a future where every family flourishes.