Perham Resident Launches Celebrate U Outreach for Rural Homeless

Jesse Bommersbach began Celebrate U after years of personal struggle with addiction, homelessness and time in prison. His recovery included participation in the Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge program and several years of sobriety, experiences he says informed the design of the outreach. Today Celebrate U operates as a volunteer-run, faith-based effort that distributes care bundles and coordinates with existing local charities to reach people experiencing homelessness from Fargo through Perham to Wadena.

Celebrate U’s standard outreach bundle includes a sleeping bag, winter clothing, snack items and a Bible, assembled for distribution on regular runs along the corridor. The bundles are intended to address immediate needs during cold months while providing a point of contact for longer-term support. In Perham, Bommersbach also helps sustain Ruby’s Pantry distributions, integrating food assistance with the outreach’s mobile work.

The program relies on donations and volunteers to cover costs and logistics. Bommersbach works multiple jobs, including positions at BTD and Perham 180, to support both his family and the outreach. He has reconnected with his family and is pursuing longer-term goals that include chaplaincy and outreach inside prisons and jails, extending the model that helped his own recovery.

Celebrate U’s activity highlights two local realities: rural homelessness often spans multiple towns and counties, and small, volunteer-driven efforts frequently plug gaps left by limited institutional capacity. For Otter Tail County residents, the outreach creates a direct opportunity to contribute practical items and time that translate into immediate relief for neighbors without stable housing. Local churches and community groups can amplify the impact by coordinating donations of winter gear, sleeping bags and nonperishable snacks, and by offering volunteer time for packing and distribution.

Policy implications are clear: sustaining such grassroots work requires reliable donor support and coordination with county services to ensure people who need longer-term housing, health care and addiction treatment are connected to available resources. Bommersbach’s stated aim to expand into chaplaincy and correctional outreach suggests a continuity model that begins with immediate material aid and moves toward prevention and recovery services for people returning from incarceration.

Celebrate U is operating now and seeks volunteers, donations and partnerships to keep its outreach runs regular through the winter and beyond. For many in Perham and neighboring communities, the group represents a locally rooted response to homelessness that combines faith-based compassion with practical assistance.