Looking for a great way to give back to our community, stay active, meet outstanding people, learn something new, and eat yummy baked goods? Maybe you just retired and googled “places to volunteer near me” but are still looking for that perfect fit.
Becoming a Regular Crew volunteer for Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity could be that perfect fit for you.
There are several crews looking for new members to join them. Volunteers build homes together across the metro and throughout the year. Some crews volunteer once a month, some multiple times a week. You can pick the commitment that’s right for you.
Never used a tool before? Don’t worry. Volunteering with Twin Cities Habitat is designed to be a friendly, welcoming experience, and Site Supervisors are great at finding ways for everyone to contribute–no matter what their starting skill level is.
Here are the crews building most often in the western half of the Twin Cities.
Northwest Regular Crew
This small but mighty crew works together mostly in Minneapolis and surrounding suburban communities. They build together on Wednesdays and Fridays. For years, members have recruited other people to build with them, so if you’re looking to join a crew this is a good place to start. They’re an extremely welcoming bunch.
South Metro Regulars
This crew is also open to new members and generally volunteers together in the southern part of the Twin Cities. But they like to joke that “South Metro” means anywhere south of Duluth. Several Delta employees helped start this crew, but it’s now open to just about anyone ready to lend a hand. They volunteer together once a week.
Women Build
Women Build is a decades-old tradition at Twin Cities Habitat. They build a house (or more) each year and are always looking for more women to join them on site. You can come by yourself or organize a group of friends or co-workers to join you for a meaningful and fun experience.
JCRC Crew
The Jewish Community Relations Council Regular Crew has been helping build Twin Cities Habitat homes since 2007. The group welcomes new members of all faiths to volunteer with them. They work together on Fridays. You can read more about the JCRC Crew here.
Basilica Regular Crew
Many different faith groups volunteer with Twin Cities Habitat. Some congregations, like the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, organize a week of building in the summer for lots of people and then they have a smaller crew of regular volunteers who come out all year round. This crew works together once a month throughout the winter. The Basilica has been supporting Twin Cities Habitat’s mission since 1995.
Pax Christi Regular Crew
Once a person catches Habitat’s volunteering bug it’s hard to give it up. One regular volunteer from St. Paul moved to the west metro and started attending Pax Christi Catholic Community in Eden Prairie. They helped form the Pax Christi Habitat for Humanity Team, which has been volunteering together since 2019. They work together each Friday. Pax Christi is currently seeking new members!
One more crew to call out is the North Central Regular Crew. This is a small, tight-knit group that loves their Site Supervisor, Lynda, so much that they only work on her homes.
Lots of employees from many companies that volunteer on Twin Cities Habitat homes continue to show up, even after they retire. Often, they’ve built up decades of experience helping build Habitat homes and are invaluable on site. Here are some of the companies that have regular volunteer crews.
General Mills Regular Crew
General Mills has sponsored and built homes with employees in Minneapolis for more than three decades. Its crew of retirees now build together twice a month.
Ameriprise Financial Regular Crew
Ameriprise retirees build together once a month. They will often help out at the wall panel plant in Northeast Minneapolis, where volunteers assemble walls in a giant warehouse all year round.
Xcel Energy Regular Crew
These retiree volunteers are almost always found at the panel plant. They’ve got a big roster of folks who help them fill their volunteer slots. They volunteer together twice a month.
Cargill Cares
This group of retirees is out building twice a month together. Like several of the other corporate retiree crews, Cargill Cares is partial to the panel plant. They pull in retirees from all across Cargill’s various business lines.
One of the most important regular crews of volunteers are the A-Regs who help out on home repair projects for the A Brush with Kindness program. This program helps lower-income homeowners stay in their homes by making critical repairs. This crew works throughout the metro and volunteers roughly once a week. They have a big need for anyone with special skills like carpentry, tiling, or concrete.
If construction isn’t your thing, another great regular volunteering opportunity is at the Habitat ReStore in either New Brighton or Minneapolis. ReStore sells donated building materials and supplies to help fund Habitat homes. They need volunteers to handle donations, stock shelves, and help customers. You can sign up for a four-hour ReStore shift as often as you like.