Promise Partners
For twenty years, faith communities didn't just support Family Promise Rochester — they were Family Promise Rochester. Promise Partners is a two-way commitment between your faith community and FPR: a way to rebuild that depth of partnership for the next twenty years, shaped for how families are served today.
From 2000 to March 2020, Family Promise Rochester didn't have a shelter. What it had was a network of faith communities across Olmsted County that opened their doors a week at a time, all year long.
For seven days at a stretch, a fellowship hall became home. Cots and privacy dividers. A welcome dinner waiting when families arrived. Volunteers who cooked, ate alongside families, helped with homework, and slept on a cot down the hall so no one woke up alone in an unfamiliar place. Then the next community took over, and the rotation continued.
Across two decades, more than 36 faith communities and thousands of volunteers kept families in this county safe and together. You built Family Promise Rochester to do this work — and it's still working, in families whose names you never knew.
Promise Partners is a two-way street. Here's what each side commits to.
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Education and resources
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Volunteer training
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Outreach opportunities
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Public recognition
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A genuine partnership
Family Promise Commits To:
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Naming a Champion
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Welcoming FPR annually
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Listing FPR publicly
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Sharing our work
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Choosing 4+ from the menu (volunteer, financial, space, in-kind, events, promoting)
Faith Communities Commit To:
No Two Promise Partners Look Alike.
A small community with deep volunteer energy and a large one with financial capacity can both be Promise Partners — they just do it differently. Beyond the four above, choose at least four more ways to engage:
Give — A recurring or annual gift. A sponsored table at The Homecoming, our fall fundraiser. Your own fundraiser or community education event.
Stock the shelves — Welcome baskets and household essentials. Pantry stock-ups and grocery support. Wish-list collection drives. Seasonal collections — back-to-school, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Move-in baskets for families heading into permanent housing.
Show up — Service projects or workdays at Promise House. A catered celebration — holiday meal, ice cream social, pizza night. A booth or extra hands at community events like Rochesterfest. Volunteer "grandparents" who walk alongside families in our programs.
Connect — Link your existing ministries — food shelves, clothing closets — to families' needs. Host an FPR event in your space. Introduce us at ministerial gatherings so we can reach other faith communities.
Advocate — Speak up for FPR and families experiencing homelessness at the local or state level.
Questions, or ready to start? Reach Bethany Moen, our Operations and Community Engagement Manager — bethany@fprochestermn.org or 507-281-3122 x404.
Here on your own?
You don't need a whole organization to make a difference. You can volunteer, give, shop our wish list, or send encouragement to Promise House families.