Interstate Pest Management’s Partnership with Imago Dei Ministry Homes

When you’ve been serving Pacific Northwest communities for over 60 years, you develop a deep understanding that true service extends beyond solving pest problems. At Interstate Pest Management, we believe the best solution is just down the road, and sometimes that solution means rolling up our sleeves to help neighbors in need. That’s exactly what our team did between December 2025 and January 2026 when we partnered with Imago Dei Ministry Homes to completely renovate a maternity home in Longview, Washington.

Service Beyond Pest Control

Excellence is our commitment to giving our customers our best, made possible by our focus on continual improvement. We do everything with care, professionalism, and integrity. This attitude extends not just to our customers, but to our colleagues and community members as well. When we learned about Imago Dei Ministry Homes and their mission to provide housing and support for expecting mothers in Cowlitz County, we knew this was an opportunity to live out our core values in a meaningful way.

Over the course of two months, Interstate Pest Management team members donated more than 200 hours of skilled labor to transform a maternity home that will serve vulnerable young women during one of the most important seasons of their lives. Our team tackled demolition work, installed new drywall, applied fresh paint throughout the home, and handled electrical upgrades to ensure the space was safe, comfortable, and welcoming.

Why Imago Dei Ministry Homes?

Imago Dei Ministry Homes, founded by Brad and Patti Thorstenson, are opening their doors spring 2026 with a mission rooted in faith and compassion. The name “Imago Dei” means “made in the image of God,” reflecting their belief that each mother and baby deserves dignity, support, and hope during this transformative time.

The organization provides far more than just housing. With house parents Jacob and Victoria Miller living on-site, expecting mothers receive mentorship, spiritual guidance, and practical support as they prepare for motherhood. From teaching life skills to providing a stable, nurturing environment, Imago Dei Ministry Homes addresses the whole person, not just their immediate housing needs.

In Cowlitz County and throughout the Pacific Northwest, many young women face the challenge of unexpected pregnancy without adequate family support, stable housing, or financial resources. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, housing insecurity during pregnancy significantly impacts maternal and infant health outcomes. Imago Dei Ministry Homes steps into that gap, offering a safe haven where these mothers can focus on their health, their future, and their babies without the added stress of housing insecurity.

As a family-owned company deeply rooted in this region, we at Interstate Pest understand the importance of supporting organizations that strengthen our communities. We’ve been neighbors with many of you for over six decades. Some of you are even our friends and family. When local organizations like Imago Dei Ministry Homes work to improve lives right here in our backyard, it aligns perfectly with our commitment to creating healthier communities.

Making a Tangible Difference

The renovation project addressed critical needs throughout the maternity home. Our team’s demolition work cleared out outdated or damaged materials, creating a blank canvas for transformation. The new drywall installation provided clean, sound walls throughout the home. The upgrades ensured the home met modern safety standards and could accommodate the needs of mothers and newborns.

Beyond the labor hours, Interstate Pest Management donated a Speed Queen commercial-grade washer and dryer combination to the home. For a maternity home serving multiple residents, reliable laundry equipment isn’t a luxury—it’s an absolute necessity. With newborns and young infants, laundry becomes a daily reality. The Speed Queen brand is known for durability and commercial-quality performance, ensuring Imago Dei Ministry Homes has equipment that will serve them reliably for years to come.

Living Our Values Through Action

At Interstate Pest Management, our vision is to create healthier communities and lasting peace of mind through exceptional service, integrity, and sustainable practices. This partnership with Imago Dei Ministry Homes represents those values in action.

Service is central to everything we do. We are a service industry, and the value we bring to the market is through our service professionals. This civic engagement allowed our team members to use their professional skills in service of vulnerable community members, expanding our definition of pest control to include protecting what matters most: people.

Solutions are where the rubber meets the road. This value separates us from others. We show up and we make things better. At all levels of our organization, we employ problem solvers who identify opportunities to improve something and apply their skills and energy toward making it happen. The maternity home renovation was exactly this type of solution-focused work.

The Broader Impact

While our team focused on the physical transformation of the building, the ripple effects of this work extend far beyond new walls and fresh paint. Each expecting mother who enters this home will benefit from the safe, comfortable environment we helped create. Each baby born to mothers supported by this program will have a better start in life because of the stability their mothers received during pregnancy.

The house parents, Jacob and Victoria Miller, can now focus on mentorship and discipleship knowing the physical space supports their mission. Victoria, a new mother herself, brings personal understanding to her role, while Jacob’s background in education and young adult ministry equips him to guide these young women through major life transitions.

For Brad and Patti Thorstenson, the founders who answered a calling to serve single mothers, this renovated space represents the realization of their vision. Their commitment to breaking cycles of hurt and creating new legacies of hope now has a physical home that matches the scope of their mission.

How You Can Support Imago Dei Ministry Homes

While Interstate Pest Management contributed labor and equipment, Imago Dei Ministry Homes relies on ongoing community support to sustain their mission. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, they depend on donations and volunteers to continue serving expecting mothers in our area.

Here are ways you can get involved:

Financial Support: Imago Dei Ministry Homes accepts one-time and recurring donations through their website at imagodeiministryhomes.com/donate. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Needed Items: The organization maintains an ongoing need for gift cards (Target, Walmart, Amazon, Fred Meyer), transportation assistance (reliable vehicles, bus passes, gas cards), household supplies (cleaning products, paper products, garbage bags, sheets, towels), and new infant and newborn clothing up to 24 months.

Contact: To learn more about volunteer opportunities or to discuss ways to support their mission, reach out to Imago Dei Ministry Homes at info@imagodeiministryhomes.com or call (360) 261-2452.

The Road Ahead

For more than 60 years, Interstate Pest Management has been committed to being not just a top provider of pest control services, but also a top employer and community partner in our market. The pest control industry is changing, with many companies selling out to large out-of-town operations. Not us. We remain family-run and locally owned because we believe the best solutions come from people who truly know and care about the communities they serve.

This partnership with Imago Dei Ministry Homes reinforces what we’ve always known: being a good neighbor means showing up when you’re needed. It means using your resources, skills, and time to make your community stronger. It means recognizing that healthy communities require more than just pest-free homes—they require compassion, generosity, and a willingness to support the most vulnerable among us.

As we look to the future, Interstate Pest Management remains committed to civic and community involvement that makes a real difference. We encourage all our team members to participate in activities that strengthen the Pacific Northwest communities we call home. This maternity home project represents exactly the kind of partnership we hope to continue building in the years ahead.

When we say “the best solution is just down the road,” we mean it literally. Imago Dei Ministry Homes is right here in Longview, serving our neighbors. The expecting mothers they support will raise their children in our communities. The positive impact of their work will be felt for generations.

We’re honored to have played a part in creating a space where hope, healing, and new beginnings can flourish. That’s what it means to be more than a pest control company. That’s what it means to be part of a community that cares for its own.

Interstate Pest Management has been serving residential and commercial customers throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1963. With locations in Portland, Vancouver, Kelso, and Olympia, we’re committed to being friendly, easy to work with, and accessible. Contact us today to learn more about our services or visit us at interstatepest.com.