Our History

Shepherd's Fold Ministries, Inc. became a non-profit corporation in the fall of 1999, governed by a Board of Directors from many different church denominations. The vision was cast to build a maternity home for unwed teenage girls.

Jan Turner was a part of this grassroots group and in January 2001, she was appointed executive director. While continuing to cast the vision of the maternity home to the community in the next couple of years, Jan also saw first hand the needs of young ladies who were experiencing the challenge of motherhood. A parent training group called Cherished Women/Cherished Kids was developed. Thee Garage Sale, a thrift store, was also establishing to both raise funds and to serve the needy. No Apologies (sexual abstinence training event for teens and parents/teachers) was also put into place.

In 2004, the dollars needed (over $450,000) to build Cherish House were raised. Businesses, individuals, and churches of Northwest Iowa have generously supported the efforts. Construction was started in the spring of 2005 and the doors were opened to serve young ladies in the spring of 2006.

Shepherd's Fold Ministries will become "Cherish Center" in 2008 as the organization builds a new building to house both the offices and the thrift store.