About Us

Bidwell Riverside Center and Hawthorn Hill - both sharing roots with the United Methodist Church as well as being United Way of Central Iowa pattern agencies - traditionally worked in parallel to provide different programs with the similar goal of helping children and families in need.

In July 2023, Bidwell Riverside Center and Hawthorn Hill officially merged into Families Forward, an organization where the original four programs - Bidwell Pantry, Child Development Center, New Directions Shelter, and The Home Connection - work together to provide compassionate, life-changing assistance to families and their path to self-sufficiency.​