Making a Difference in Thompson, ND

Apr 8, 2021

If you’re interested in making a difference in the Thompson area, there are numerous organizations to get involved in. Whether you want to build a home, foster a rescue animal, or participate in the next local blood drive, you’ll find plenty of charitable opportunities in Thompson, North Dakota, and the surrounding communities.

Red River Valley Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity volunteer using hammer to help with home building — Image via Flickr by Nashville First Baptist

The Red River Valley Habitat for Humanity has been serving the Grand Forks and Thompson communities since 1989. While Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization, this local chapter has built more than 30 homes for low-income families in the Red River area.

Habitat for Humanity believes every person deserves a decent place to live. Its mission is to develop partnerships between community agencies, businesses, and supportive volunteers and assist hardworking, low-income families build and own their own homes. Habitat offers houses to these families at an affordable cost through a zero-interest mortgage and 250 hours of “sweat equity” in the home’s construction. The local community donates materials and labor.

You can get involved with Red River Valley Habitat in a variety of ways. If you’re gifted in construction work or manual labor, you can volunteer to help build a home. You can also help organize, plan, and manage fundraising events. Red River Valley Habitat also needs volunteers to serve on the local community board. To get involved, fill out the online volunteer form.

North Country Food Bank

Less than 20 miles away in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, North Country Food Bank serves more than 21 counties in the East Grand Forks and Grand Forks communities. Most of the local food pantry charities, including soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior community centers, and after-school programs, receive about half their food from North Country. Many others in the area receive most of their food resources from this valuable agency, as well.

North Country Food Bank has a variety of ways for you to serve or volunteer. The organization welcomes volunteers of all ages and from local groups to help at the distribution center. You can also become an advocate on behalf of North Country to take positive action against hunger. North Country is seeking dynamic individuals to serve on its board of directors, as well.

Thompson Athletic Boosters

If you were once involved in school athletics or have children in local school athletic programs, you might be interested in becoming involved with the Thompson Athletic Boosters (TAB). This volunteer-led organization raises funds to support Thompson Public School athletic programs. The TAB also works successfully with many local businesses and individuals to improve athletes’ experience.

While many parents of current school athletes are involved, you do not have to be a parent to support your local school athletic programs. The TAB offers three membership options that range from $20 to $150, depending on the level of support you choose. To become a member or donate your time to support local school athletics, complete the membership form on the Thompson Public school website.

Journey Home Animal Rescue

Located in nearby Grand Forks, North Dakota, Journey Home Animal Rescue was founded in 2018 by a group of loyal animal advocates who wanted to create a foster-based animal rescue in the area. Community members foster animals who are waiting for their forever homes, caring for their physical needs and teaching them to become valuable members of a family. Other priorities of this animal rescue include assisting local pounds, shelters, and rescues, reducing the animal population by spaying/neutering animals, and educating others on the importance of minimizing the animal population.

If you love helping and working with animals, Journey Home Animal Rescue is always looking for volunteers. You can help organize fundraisers to provide for the medical needs of the animals brought to the center. The rescue also needs transport volunteers to bring cats and dogs from surrounding communities to the rescue and home visit volunteers to assist the caretakers and animals when they find foster or adopted homes. Complete their volunteer application on the website to get started.

Miracles for Vets

Miracles for Vets (M4V) is a local nonprofit charity based out of Grand Forks that provides for veterans who find themselves in difficult situations. The organization’s goal is to advocate for an overall better veteran community through various activities and services that reduce veteran risk and improve the veteran workforce.

M4V assists veterans in three key areas: mechanical support, veteran reemployment, and vehicle donation. Any veteran in need of vehicle maintenance can receive mechanical support, funds permitting. The veteran reemployment program focuses on resume writing, CV writing, and interviewing and includes a guide for successfully reentering the job arena. Along with recurring financial donations, M4V is often looking for volunteers such as grant writers, event planners, and mechanics. You can learn more about these opportunities by visiting the website.

American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region

The American Red Cross of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota helps families in need in these Midwest states. While the Red Cross is well-known for its work with blood drives, the organization provides other services, such as serving meals to disaster victims, providing emergency preparedness resources, and teaching CPR and Babysitter’s Training.

The Red Cross disaster services assists communities in either preparing for or recovering from disasters such as tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes. The health and safety department oversees teaching CPR and first-aid skills, babysitter’s training courses, and other classes as needed. Before soldiers get deployed, Red Cross volunteers brief them on services available to them and their families. Volunteers also assist in a variety of ways at VA hospitals.

The volunteering possibilities at the Red Cross of Minnesota and Dakotas Region seem endless. To learn more, visit the website, and apply to become a Red Cross volunteer.

Contact Rydell Nissan of Grand Forks

Do you want to learn more about any of the local nonprofits listed above? If we missed a favorite of yours in the Thompson area, please let us know. We’d be more than happy to add it to our list.