DECEMBER 2025
PRC PATHWAYS
Your monthly guide to Family Support, Community Resources, and Positive Action!
As we step into a season of reflection and gratitude, this month’s newsletter shares program updates, uplifting stories, and opportunities to stay engaged. Thank you for helping us continue building positive change in our community.
FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Remember the PRC This Season of Giving
As we move through this season of generosity and gratitude, we invite you to remember the Parenting Resource Center in your year-end giving. Your support strengthens our ability to meet families’ most essential everyday needs—from warm clothing and diapers to emergency financial assistance. If you would like to contribute, please consider making a gift today through our donation page here! Every dollar helps ensure that local families have access to compassionate, judgment-free support when they need it most.
Basic Needs Pantry
Our Basic Needs Pantry continues to be a vital resource for families experiencing financial strain. The pantry provides essentials such as hygiene products, and personal necessities. These items, often overlooked by other assistance programs, play a crucial role in helping families maintain stability and dignity during challenging times. Donations of personal care items are always welcome, and community contributions help us keep this important service fully stocked for those who rely on it.
Diaper Closet
Diapers are not only expensive, they are a daily necessity. Through our Diaper Closet, the PRC supplies diapers, and wipes to families with infants and toddlers. We currently serve dozens of Mower County families each month, reducing financial pressure and ensuring parents can meet their children’s basic care needs. Diaper donations (sizes newborn through size 6) are deeply appreciated, as are monetary gifts that help us purchase supplies in bulk.
Family Assistance Fund
The Family Assistance Fund allows us to respond quickly when families face unexpected hardships whether it’s helping cover part of a car repair, providing a car seat or helping with other financial challenge that impact families in Mower County. These small acts of support often make a big difference in preventing broader crises. This fund is entirely community-supported, and your contributions ensure that families can overcome short-term obstacles and move forward with confidence.
Together, We Make a Difference
As we close out the year, we are grateful for every donor, volunteer, and partner who stands with us in supporting local families. Your generosity keeps our shelves stocked, our doors open, and hope within reach for those navigating difficult times Thank you for remembering the Parenting Resource Center this season of giving. With your continued support, we will enter the new year ready to uplift even more families with dignity, compassion, and care.
SEIBEL CENTER
As we approach the holiday season, the Seibel Center is reflecting on the essential role supervised visitation plays for families, especially during this time of year. The holidays often bring joy and celebration, but for families navigating separation, conflict, or complex dynamics, this season can also heighten emotions and stress. Our work together becomes especially meaningful during these months.
At the Seibel Center, we see firsthand how impactful visitation and exchanges are during the holiday season. Children benefit deeply from ongoing involvement and emotional support from both parents, and the holidays, filled with traditions, structure, and meaningful moments, highlight this need even more. Maintaining these connections helps children feel secure and valued, especially when their families are navigating difficult transitions. The season can also heighten family conflict and stress, making the neutral, structured environment of supervised visitation essential. By offering a safe, predictable space, we ensure children can enjoy time with their parents without being exposed to disagreements or tension.
The holidays also provide important opportunities for strengthening parent-child bonds. We regularly witness the positive impact of consistent, high-quality interactions between children and their non-custodial parents. These moments carry even more weight during the holidays, when expectations and emotions often run high. Consistency is equally critical, as children thrive when routines remain steady despite the chaos the season can bring. Keeping visitation schedules, stable helps create a sense of normalcy and comfort. We also recognize that this time of year can be challenging for both custodial and non-custodial parents. Custodial parents gain reassurance knowing their child is in a safe, supportive space, while non-custodial parents have the chance to remain part of cherished holiday memories. Our role is to support both sides while keeping the child’s well-being at the forefront.
At the Seibel Center, we deeply appreciate the partnership and dedication of our broader provider community. Your work ensures children across our region have safe, meaningful access to their families, not only during the holidays, but throughout the entire year. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to child safety, family connection, and compassionate support.
Warm wishes for a safe, peaceful, and joyful holiday season,
The Seibel Center Team
WELCOME CENTER
A Day in the Life of the Welcome Center
Each morning at 8:00 a.m., the Welcome Center quietly comes to life inside the Community Action Building. Families begin checking in at the front desk; some arriving for scheduled appointments, others stopping by as walk-ins, and our staff is ready with a warm greeting, a friendly smile, and the reassurance that they are in a safe and supportive place. Open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Welcome Center serves an average of 145 clients every month, each with their own story, goals, and needs.
After check-in, families meet with a member of our Welcome Center team or one of our Social Services Advocates. Together, they review the client’s intake form and talk through what support would be most helpful that day. From there, services flow naturally based on the client’s needs, whether it’s accessing the clothing closet, receiving diapers or basic hygiene supplies, or getting connected with case support and community resources. Some families come in for a single service, while others use multiple programs during the same visit. No matter what brings someone through our doors, our staff takes the time to listen, understand, and respond with care.
Throughout the day, advocates provide quiet meeting rooms and private offices to ensure comfort and confidentiality. These intentional touches help families feel welcomed, respected, and empowered. And it shows with clients regularly share that they return because they appreciate the time our staff spend helping them navigate challenges and find solutions. They feel seen. They feel supported. They feel part of this community.
What many donors and partners may not realize is that the Welcome Center’s impact extends far beyond our building. In addition to serving more than 2,000 clients each year, our team is deeply involved in community events like Inviting Tables, Taste of Nations, and other outreach opportunities across the county. These connections strengthen the community fabric and help ensure that families know where to turn when they need help.
One of the most meaningful moments we see time and again is watching clients who arrive overwhelmed or unsure gradually gain confidence through support, resources, and continued follow-up. Seeing families return with progress to share and knowing our advocates helped set them on that path is a powerful reminder of why this work matters.
At the Welcome Center, every day is shaped by compassion, connection, and every visit is an opportunity to walk alongside a neighbor on their journey toward stability and success. To stay connected with our work and see the impact happening in real time, we invite you to follow the Parenting Resource Center on social media for regular updates, program highlights, and ways to get involved.
PREVENTION
APAC
In November, the Austin Positive Action Coalition (APAC) met to discuss future projects, events, and community engagements. Also, members attended the Opioid Advisory Committee’s (OAC’s) open meeting, where they met with prevention and recovery community partners and learned about the multitude of projects and programs the OAC supported via funding and other resources.
The next APAC meeting is scheduled for December 17th from 12 – 1 p.m. at the Community Action Building in Austin. There is also an online option available for those unable to attend in-person. We look forward to continuing our important discussions and initiatives to improve and strengthen prevention efforts within the community.
STAND
Our youth coalition members began setting plans for prevention activities and events for early 2026 and also provided an in-depth presentation on heroin, detailing its incredibly addictive properties and the negative physical, familial, and social impacts that result from misuse.
The AHS STAND group held their annual group fundraiser at Pizza Ranch, collecting nearly twice the funding of the previous year’s efforts!
If you’re interested in learning more or becoming a member of APAC or STAND, please reach out to us at dfc@prc-austinmn.org.
