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Volunteer or donate

Minneapolis VA Health Care System depends on the goodwill of our benefactors and volunteers who wish to give something back to America's heroes.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about how you can help. To volunteer or make a donation to benefit Veterans, call the Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE) office at .

Become a volunteer

Volunteer opportunities are available for adults and students who are at least 14 years old. Volunteers can work with patients or "behind the scenes" to help the VA run smoothly.

  • Visit Volunteer Match to view open volunteer opportunities within the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.
  • If you don't see an opportunity that interests you, check back or contact CDCE at  to discuss your interests. New volunteer positions open every day.

New volunteers are requested to serve four hours per week for a minimum of six months. All new volunteers are required to complete an application, allow us to run background checks and agree to be finger-printed.

When accepted as a new volunteer, CDCE staff will match you to an assignment and complete the volunteer training orientation with you. Staff in the assignment areas provide additional training and orientation as needed.

Make a donation

Donations from people like you help us provide more services to Veterans. You can donate online, by mail or in person.

Donation suggestions

Material donation suggestions for Minneapolis Veterans

Please contact CDCE at or vhaminvol@va.gov for our current needs list and to answer any questions. Due to infection precautions and storage capacity, there are items we are not currently accepting as donations.

Gift cards suggestions for Minneapolis Veterans

Gift cards in $25 denominations or more can be used by Veterans for a variety of needs. These are used when other fund sources are not available to a Veteran and there is an identified financial hardship impeding patient health care or access to care. Donated gift cards are in short supply and high demand, notably due to COVID-19 related financial issues.

  • Grocery gift cards 
  • $20-$25 gas/fuel cards
  • Visa or Mastercard gift cards
  • Metro Transit passes
  • $5-$10 fast food gift cards

Send a card, letter or greeting

Cards, letters, and special greetings are distributed to our Veteran patients by Volunteers or staff. You can send general cards anytime, like “Thank you for your service” or “Thinking of you.”

When we receive cards, we keep them for 7 days before giving them to patients, as a safety precaution. If you want to send something for a specific holiday such as Veterans Day or Valentine’s Day, please keep that in mind.  We review all greetings to make sure they are appropriate before they go to Veteran patients.

Here are some tips for writing cards and letters:

  • Use “Thinking of You” or holiday cards and write a nice note of encouragement.
  • You can fold a piece of paper in half and make your own card.  We encourage schools, groups and individuals to spend a few minutes making cards.  Kids’ artwork is welcome!
  • Start the greeting with “Dear Veteran” or “Dear Friend”.
  • Keep it positive and cheerful, and express your gratitude.
  • Sign with your first name only.
  • If you’re part of a group or organization, you can include that name.
  • Don’t put a date on them, since we’ll give them our throughout the year.
  • If you’re sending multiple cards, we don’t need the envelopes, just the cards. 
  • Please note any greetings received with religious content will go to the Chaplain Service for distribution.

For privacy and safety, please don’t include these things in your cards:

  • No confetti or glitter.
  • No scented markers or perfume.
  • Don’t put candy or other items inside or taped to the cards.
  • Don’t include personal photos or contact information like your last name, address, phone, email, or any website.

Cards can be mailed to:

MVAHCS
CDCE (135)
One Veterans Drive
Minneapolis, MN  55417

Questions?

Please call or email vhaminvol@va.gov

Thank you for your support of our Veterans!

Contact us

To schedule a time to drop off your donation or to volunteer, please contact the Center for Development and Civic Engagement at:

Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Center for Development and Civic Engagement
Room 4G-109

Phone: 612-467-2050
Email: VHAMINVOL@va.gov

Thank you for your support

The Internal Revenue Service has announced that under the Tax Code, donations to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ General Post Fund for exclusively public purposes are deductible from federal income taxes in the manner and to the extent allowable. This announcement reflects the tax law provision which makes those donations deductible as "donations to the United States."

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