The Food Group needs volunteers!! Help pack and sort food in our warehouse in New Hope this holiday season and winter. The need remains high and we need your support. Check out opportunities here to sign-up or email Colette Illarde to learn more.

Second Harvest Heartland is currently looking for volunteers with professional expertise to partner with us on two pro bono projects: HR/Operations Safety Program Development and FOODRx Program Warehouse Capacity Planner.

Let’s meet Julie Greene from Second Harvest Heartland

We invite all CVC-TC members to the Annual Meeting being held on February 24, 2022 from 8 am – 9 am. Registration is free and will open up in late December!

During Pro Bono Week (Oct 25-29) and all year long, we celebrate volunteers who choose to support nonprofits through their professional skills and knowledge. Pro bono volunteering is a highly desired experience for volunteers and nonprofits alike as it allows individuals and groups to use their developed skills and give back to the community while providing missing skill sets and additional capacity for the nonprofit. In celebration of the crucial work pro bono volunteers accomplish, here are a few examples of CVC-TC member projects.

Andersen Windows and Doors partnered with HandsOn Twin Cities to provide their employees an opportunity to contribute skills to support a BIPOC-owned small business, Minnesota Interpreters and Translators (MINT) through a 12-week pro bono project. MINT received over 200 hours of consultation (valued at $39,000) to improve their project management leadership and team building, the importance of a learning mindset and provided a recruitment tool. In turn, the Andersen team of five employees gained community connections and insights into how different business models operate, the chance to apply their skills in a new context, and a space to build relationships with other Andersen colleagues.

Save November 4 for the CVC Nonprofit Partners Lunch and Learn.

The Lunch and Learn will be 12 pm to 1 pm via Zoom.

If you know of an individual or organization that you would consider a HERO THROUGH SERVICE, please fill out this form and submit your HERO to be recognized on our social media channels and newsletter. Submission of an individual, group or company are all welcome!

The pandemic did not hold Xcel Energy’s spirited volunteers back for the 11th annual Day of Service. More than 1,450 volunteers came together and put good energy into action throughout Xcel Energy’s Upper Midwest footprint on September 9 – 11.

Volunteers chose from more than 70 nonprofit projects spread across Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, including in-person projects and take-home activities. Here are just a few of the ways volunteers made a difference:

• 15,000 meals packed for families
• 10,000 pounds of produce sourced from local Latino farmers distributed
• 5,000 hygiene kits and snack packs assembled
• Thousands of trees and pollinator plants planted

Xcel Energy’s Day(s) of Service campaign provides an opportunity for employees, retirees, their family and friends and members of the public to support nonprofit organizations across a variety of focus areas in communities they all live and work in.

While many employers sponsored group volunteer opportunities are still on pause due to the pandemic, The Salvation Army is seeking to individuals to join our Young Professionals Board, Echelon. Echelon is a community of diverse young adults collectively rising up to serve the community through service, fundraising and networking opportunities. Members will build their network and develop professionally through opportunities to exchange ideas and hear from local leaders in the community. We are looking to invite new talent to the table to help us co-create a new vision for the group by helping to establish an executive board to design opportunities for engagement throughout the year.

The Salvation Army is currently seeking leaders to serve as Membership and Communications Chair, Fundraising Chair and Events Chair. If you know someone in your company who may be a interested in this type of leadership development opportunity, please contact Haley Nelson, Volunteer Relations Director, by email or call 651-746-3498 to learn more.

Thank you to the 12 Corporate Members and 6 Associate Members who completed our recent survey. If you have ideas for survey questions for either corporate or associate members please submit them to [email protected].

Corporate Results

Over 75 Land O’Lakes employees near and far joined forces to support healthy eating across the companies footprint. Some employees made their way back to headquarters to volunteer alongside coworkers, others had boxes of materials shipped out to their home, and three manufacturing facilities stepped up to offer this activity to their employees during down times.

Each snack pack contained unsweetened applesauce, whole grain crackers, wow butter, and a personalized “you matter” note written by employees. This activation was completed through a partnership with MATTER, a global non-profit headquartered in Minnesota that helps people and companies launch projects to improve communities.

By Gina DiMaggio, Medica Foundation

The 2021 Points of Light virtual conference was focused on the theme of Inspire. Learn. Act. As we all know, 2020 was a year like no other and corporations and nonprofits across the country had to adapt and take action. It was a year full of challenges, and companies had to learn to do things in new ways. But it also changed many things for the better.

The best volunteers possess a sense of self-awareness. It is important for us all to reflect on the preconceptions and biases that we may have about the community before engaging. This is why HandsOn Twin Cities is thrilled to partner with REM5 For Good to offer this exclusive learning experience! Join us for "1 City. 2 Realities." the world's first truly virtual exhibition space highlighting racial inequalities in our nation and community. Minneapolis has long thrived on the reputation of being one of the "Best Places To Live" in the country, while at the same time, has one of the largest racial inequality gaps in the nation.

Through photos, videos, audio clips, and data visualizations, this virtual exhibition highlights this reality to help us get past "Minnesota Nice" and into the place where we can address the systemic inequality in our community head-on. Find out more at https://www.handsontwincities.org/1-city-2-realities. If you would like to offer this to a larger group, don’t hesitate to email Tracy Nielsen directly for more information.

 Redefining Volunteerism is a podcast about deepening understanding of social issues and inspiring action. HandsOn Twin Cities created this podcast for a few important reasons:

• To contextualize some key community issues so that volunteers have a background and a deeper understanding of how and why nonprofits and partner organizations exist.
• To challenge folks to dig deeper and think about how their actions can really get beyond episodic volunteerism to make meaningful change for a more equitable community.
• To give tangible and easy ways to take action in every episode.

The podcast features many incredible guests, including Seena Hodges Akyea of The Woke Coach, Tomme Beevas of Pimento Relief Services, Jonathan Palmer from Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, and many MORE! Episodes are available on all the major streaming platforms via www.handsontwincities.org/podcast.

Each year, more than 100,000 students in the Twin Cities metro area start the school year without the supplies they need for academic success. Be a part of Action Day and help us distribute 50,000 backpacks with school supplies to children in need. There are several ways you can volunteer:

• Volunteer from home and assemble school supply kits for inclusion in backpacks
• Sponsor and host a satellite backpack event at your place of business during the month of July. Hurry! Deadline is June 10 to book a date.
• Volunteer in person on August 12 at Allianz Field in St. Paul (limited spots available). Registration opens in late June.

Questions? Contact Mary Smith or 612.340.7576.

Thank you to the 13 Corporate Members and 8 Associate Members who completed our recent survey. If you have ideas for survey questions for either corporate or associate members please submit them to [email protected].

Corporate Results

What type of volunteer opportunities is your company currently offering:

In this informative and motivating Zoom session, Chris Jarvis from Realized Worth and guest Jacob MacIsaac will discuss the concept of allyship in the workplace and why it is critical for both community investment and workplace dynamics.

• Program

• Leadership Development