Wendy Harris is a giver. She gives her time, her talents, her knowledge, her friendship, her physical labor, and even her money to others in an effort to make someone's life better, to make the world a better place.

From September to mid-June, Wendy works as a social studies teacher at Metro Deaf School in St. Paul, where she also teaches braille and technology to DeafBlind students and coordinates the DeafBlind club. During her summer breaks, she volunteers at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. We are honored to have the support of volunteers and donors like Wendy. Here's her story.

Like many other nonprofits, Twin Cities Habitat is dedicated to making the most of every dollar entrusted to us. And just like any other local builder and developer, Twin Cities Habitat is at the mercy of the local real estate market when it comes to purchasing land to build our homes.

We also feel the same competition other homebuyers experience when it comes to purchasing homes that we repair or update and sell to our qualified buyers. That's why when an individual, company, congregation or other community group decides to donate a home, land, or other property in support of our mission, it's definitely something we celebrate.

"Believe it or not, land is one of our top needs and directly impacts our mission," said Laura Tanner, Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer at Habitat.

When Don and Jo Gustafson finally sat down to create their will, they found it to be a surprisingly simple process. And their decision about what to do with their home was just as easy: they would donate it to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. That decision was years in the making.

Bare trees, fallen snow, and cold temperatures don't usually make you think of house hunting, but maybe it should. While spring and summer remain the busiest, most popular times to buy a home, there are several benefits to buying a house in winter here in Minnesota.

We all have our own stories of home. This series shares those stories from Habitat staff. We'll explore questions like: what does home mean to us? How did we find a stable home? How do our stories inform our work? And how do Habitat's mission, vision, and values resonate with our experiences?

This story is written by Blake MacKenzie. He's our Communications Specialist, and has worked at Habitat since 2013.

My mom still owns the home I grew up in. It was built in 1960 and is situated on a hill. Bricks wrap around the front entry, soaring up along the chimney. Beyond that the hill dips down, revealing windows to the basement. Growing up, I liked to say it was four stories tall (really, it was a split-level, with two stories on each side). 

Earlier this month, over 290 Habitat homeowners and family members came together to attend the 9th annual Homeowner Networking Event at the Minnesota Children's Museum.

 Take a peek at what's been happening over on the ReStoration Corner blog: holiday hours and volunteering, cheap DIY updates for your home, plus tips on making a donation to our stores! 

Every Habitat home dedication is unique in its own way, but the one held on December 12 was incredibly special for the home's sponsor - Ryan Companies. This year, Ryan Companies took the big step to be the main sponsor and volunteer team for the entire build!

It has been a busy time for city budget decisions in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and Twin Cities Habitat Housing Heroes have used these opportunities to advocate for affordable housing at the local level.