Approximately 45 Great River Energy employees rolled up their sleeves to support the Habitat for Humanity organization for five days this month.
The Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is committed to building quality of life, health and economic prosperity of the seven-county metro region by producing, preserving and advocating for affordable homeownership. The organization’s mission aligns well with the cooperative principles Great River Energy follows, including “concern for community.”
According to Dave Kempf, Great River Energy’s manager of transmission planning engineering, the project involved taking some of the initial steps in restoring an existing home in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
“Our volunteers were involved in tasks such as demolition and cleanup, removing wall boards and tile, installing windows, doors and door trim, and more,” Kempf said.
Great River Energy encourages employees to give back to the community by allotting them 12 paid volunteer hours each to put toward causes that personally interest them. They can choose between various organizations related to animal protection and welfare, disaster relief and response, housing, and hunger, among others.
Kempf said Habitat for Humanity appreciated having Great River Energy on site as the organization has been working for the last couple of years without volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Habitat for Humanity is happy to have our volunteers. They have told us they appreciate our work ethic, and that our employees are willing to do anything they ask of us, including tasks that aren’t always the most fun,” Kempf said.
As construction continues on the Habitat for Humanity project, one family will be selected to make it their new home.
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