Bloomington, Minnesota Travel & Tourism has a unique opportunity for visiting groups to give back to the local non-profit community. We encourage all of our visiting groups to work on projects to assist in charitable work while they may be in town for a meeting or event. We receive inquiries from national and regional groups that come in and want to have a day designated to giving back to the local community.

NEW: We're partnering with Giving Good to expand our reach! Visit our page to learn more about opportunities for charitable projects.

We partner with three local charities for our outreach initiative:

BRIDGING

Through the effective reuse of donated items, Bridging improves lives by providing quality furniture and household goods to those transitioning out of homelessness and poverty. Bridging serves over 75 households (over 230 people) each week who are given a sense of dignity and stability as they rebuild their lives. Full program information at www.bridging.org.

Team Volunteering in a Warehouse
Where: Roseville OR Bloomington
Group Size: 5-20
Help load/unload trucks, sort through donated goods, inspect linens and restock shelves. Specific projects will be determined on the day you volunteer based on inventory and final group size.

• Warehouse projects are available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and limited Saturdays.
• Available weekday shifts: 1:00-4:00 pm, 2:00-5:00 pm or 4:00-6:00 pm.
• Volunteers need to be 14 years of age or older.
  

Sponsor a Dresser Build
Where: Roseville, Bloomington or a location of your choice*
Group Size: 10-150+
Buy/sponsor and assemble new dressers for those in need. Kits in stock at Bridging.

• Teams must purchase dresser kits for $50 (3-drawer) or $75 (5-drawer) each.
• A minimum of 10 dressers per project is required.
• All necessary tools and directions are provided. No experience required!
  *Minimum of 50 dressers required for offsite build. $500 surcharge applies.
  

Organize an Essentials Drive
Where: Your workplace, school, civic club, faith-based organization and in your local community
Group size: The sky is the limit!
Organize an Essentials Drive any time throughout the year! New or gently-used items accepted. Promotional support and templates available.

• Pillows: Over 200 pillows per week are needed to give a pillow per person for a good night's sleep!
• Towels: All sizes and types wanted for the kitchen and bath. The goal is one bath towel per person - that's 12,000 towels a year!
• Kitchen Packs: Bridging needs over 75 packs per week to give every home a set. Bundles include: can opener, mixing spoon, spatula and dish towel/cloth. Bonus items: ladle, whisk, and peeler. Donate full packs or let them bundle for you!
  

Take action today!
1. Review the options.
2. Select a project.
3. Choose a location (Bloomington or Roseville) and schedule the project by contacting Joel Bisser at joel.bisser@bridging.org or 651-403-6872.

CORNERSTONE

Cornerstone prevents domestic abuse, provides children and adults a continuum of service that builds sustainable self-reliance and revives the human spirit, and works towards ending the generational cycle of violence and abuse.

• Host a party for children in the shelter and community programs. Crafts, games, face painting and art projects are just a few activities a group can sponsor.
• Donation Drives can be a great opportunity for attendees to donate anything from baby products to household items.
• Santa Shop takes place every December, where your group can donate gifts and a child can have the opportunity to choose and wrap gifts to give their parent and/or sibling. Activities such as decorating Cornerstone’s lower level, creating and stuffing stockings, or being an “elf” and helping the children select gifts can all be done by attendees.
  

Learn about these opportunities and more at Cornerstone's website or by contacting Courtney Poja, Senior Director of Advancement, at courtneyp@cornerstonemn.org or 952-884-0376.

VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People)

VEAP is a group of neighbors serving neighbors in need, improving the lives of people in Bloomington, Richfield, Edina and South Minneapolis by providing a range of services to help low-income people meet their immediate needs to reach their long-term goal of stability.

• Stock, pack or distribute food or goods
• Help with back to school or Holiday Store events
• Host a collections drive
  

Learn more about these opportunities and more at veap.org or by contacting Karen Hancock, Volunteer Manager, at karenh@veap.org.