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Who We Are

Mission & History

Our Mission:

The people of the HASTINGS area reaching out as FAMILY in support and SERVICE to one another.

Our Values:

  • See the person before the situation.

  • Partner with those we serve and help them to provide for themselves to the best of their ability.

  • Offer help and hope.

  • Honor the dignity of each individual and respect their privacy

  • Be good stewards of our resources.

  • Work together to make our community stronger.

Our History:

Hastings Family Service got its start in the late 1960s when the local schools contacted a community member, Dawn Sheridan, to see if she could provide assistance for children who were coming to school without appropriate clothing and coats.  Dawn enlisted the help of her friend Mary Jean Engstrom and began gathering and distributing clothing from her basement.  They began discussing the broader need in the community with Virginia McHale, Chamber Director, and Lew Linde, a local attorney.  Hastings Family Service (then known as the Clothes Closet) was incorporated as a Minnesota nonprofit organization by these four founders on April 21, 1970.  The United Way of Hastings provided a $1500 grant to secure a rental space, and Dawn Sheridan Beedle became its first Executive Director.  

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