Snow has recently fallen to the ground in Central Oregon, and the holidays are just around the corner. Now is a great time to get involved in the community and help those around us to have a special holiday season. MountainStar Family Relief Nursery began providing services to families in the community of Bend in 2001 and now serves the tri-county Central Oregon area including Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties. We are proud to support this organization and their mission to prevent neglect and child abuse and to provide community services to support families in need.
Currently, 12% of families are living below the federal poverty line in Oregon. With this in mind, a community initiative was formed to aid the community’s need to help distressed families with young children. MountainStar services have resulted in decreasing the amount of abuse and neglect by 70% within the first six months of families participating in the provided programs. They have served 1,192 children and family members and still continue to be a resource for families.
MountainStar Family Relief Nursery includes Therapeutic Early Childhood Program, which helps young children and their families recover and heal from abuse and neglect through childcare, classes, in-home visits and education. The relief nursery includes four age-specific therapeutic classrooms. The group’s Outreach program extends the work they are doing in the Therapeutic program to even more families in the community, with a customizable approach to helping those in need. They also developed the Preschool Promise program available to families who are at or below the federal poverty line. You can read more about their programs here.
Recently, MountainStar received government, private, and grant funding establishing a permanent site in La Pine which is scheduled to open in 2023. Community partners have been able to donate and provide the resources necessary to continue this mission. Children and families are able to access essential supplies and services including emergency food boxes, transportation services and more.
Check out the MountainStar Family Relief Nursery website for more information and how you can get involved.
