Every night in Minnesota, more than 10,000 people do not have a place to call home. Those transitioning into stable housing could also use help.
“Think about when you move somewhere, it’s expensive,” said Melissa Kadlec, corporate relationship officer for Greater Twin Cities United Way. “We work with non-profit partners to figure out what people will need when they move into a new home. We created this large kit that gets distributed into communities.”
The campaign from United Way is called Home for Good, which sources items and partners with organizations whose volunteers pack boxes filled with household essentials for families moving into stable housing throughout the Midwest. “The boxes have cleaning supplies, dishwashing detergent, towels, cleaning fluids, and just some of those basic needs for families to get started in their new home,” explained Julie McDonough, Old National Bank private wealth management executive, SVP, and Minnesota market president.
About 30 volunteers from Old National Bank gathered in St. Louis Park to assemble the 100 Home for Good welcome home kits and complete tie blankets as part of the organization’s Better Together Days event, now in its fourth year. Last year, Old National had more than 2400 employees participate in nine states, donating 5700 hours to benefit more than 200 different organizations.
“This partnership with United Way and specifically Home for Good is a great alignment with the types of things we want to invest in,” McDonough explained. She said affordable housing is a key area Old National lends its focus. “We know that stable housing is one of the first critical steps toward building wealth, and we want to make sure every person in our community has the opportunity to do that.”
This year’s Better Together Days event included participation from Old National Bank team members in Minnesota joined by colleagues from Bremer Bank, now operating as a division of Old National Bank, ahead of its full conversion next month.
Turns out the event not only supports communities in need, but volunteers also benefit. “This is a great thing for us internally. We get to wear t-shirts and tennis shoes to work and spend time with each other in a different way.” McDonough said the Old National commitment to community is strong. “We want to feel like a community-based bank in each market, and the way you do that is through the people, how they show up and how they give, not only financially, but their time too.”
Old National has 33 locations in Minnesota and will increase that number to nearly 80 when Bremer Bank, now operating as a division of Old National Bank, is fully converted in October.
McDonough said that, like Bremer Bank, Old National Bank has a long history of service and community involvement, which creates a natural connection as the two financial institutions come together.