Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood among volunteers building Habitat for Humanity homes in St. Paul this week
ST. PAUL, Minn. — This week, thousands of volunteers, including some big celebrities, will put their hard hats and hammers to good use to build dozens of homes for Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
Construction on the nonprofit's largest-ever development begins on Monday morning in St. Paul, part of the 2024 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
The project coincides with Tuesday's 100th birthday celebration for former President Carter, the organization's most high-profile champion.
The first couple of country music, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, are also in town to help in the launch of "The Heights," an affordable housing community on St. Paul's east side.
Four thousand volunteers from Minnesota and across the country will help construct 30 homes over the next five days.
Former St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, the current president and CEO of Twin Cities Habitat, spoke with WCCO last month about what he calls the largest project the organization has ever tackled, with the goal of easing the city's housing crisis.
"The logistics are crazy. It's getting volunteers to site, feeding them two meals a day, making sure they have the tools, making sure they're assigned to the houses they're supposed to be at. So, it is a complex undertaking," Coleman said.
On Tuesday, The Armory will host the Build Forward Bash in honor of Carter, with emcee Jonathan Scott of "Property Brothers" fame, and performances from The Family Stone, as well as St. Paul and the Minneapolis Funk All Stars.
The bash is open to the public, with tickets still on sale for $15.