Family Pathways

Family Pathways' Social Enterprise department generates ongoing revenues that support Family Pathways programs and services through thrift store sales, ecommerce sales and recycling programs. This department builds ecological awareness in the community by encouraging recycling efforts and promoting the reuse of clothing and household goods. We offer local employment opportunities and offer low cost clothing and household goods to those in need.

Family Pathways helps people break the cycle of abuse and heal through advocacy, emergency sheltering, parenting support, and intervention programming. The organization provides supervised & monitored parenting time to assure that children have safe contact with noncustodial family members. This service is offered as a tool to assist families as they navigate difficult times and transitions. Often courtordered, supervised and monitored parenting time supports parent/child relationship and keeps families connected.

With the support of the community, Family Pathways operates the largest hunger relief program in east central Minnesota and Polk County, Wisconsin. The organization actively works to correct disparities to ensure all people have what they need to achieve and maintain health, well-being, and prosperity. Family Pathways has nine food shelves as of June 30, 2023, in Cambridge, Chisago City, Forest Lake, North Branch, Onamia, Pine City, and Sandstone, Minnesota, and Frederic and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. The organization operates a mobile food shelf and provides Doorstep delivery. These programs collect and distribute food and personal items to individuals and families experiencing crisis situations. The Food Shelf Coordinators work alongside people to assess immediate needs and develop plans for long-range self-sufficiency while providing professional advocacy and resource referral services. Family Pathways is very active in the environmental stewardship of food rescue. Family Pathways has embraced the full food lifecycle from procurement to giving unusable food back to area farmers.

Family Pathways Aging Services programs help older adults and their caregivers age well at home. We help achieve this goal through family caregiver consultation, classes and resources; making Sunshine Calls to help prevent older adults from being socially isolated; and we perform homemaking services which consist of light housekeeping, grocery shopping and meal prepping.