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MARSHALL - Redwood River Habitat for Humanity just wants to help, but they need help to make that happen.

Habitat broke ground on a new house in Wabasso in April, but construction is at a stand-still.

"As of now, we're $30,000 short to build the house in Wabasso," said John Nuytten, RRHFH board member. Thrivent Financial has given a grant. "To fulfill the Thrivent grant, the deadline to finish it is Dec. 31," Nuytten said. "Otherwise, we have to repay the $60,000 grant."

"This is the first house to be built in Redwood County," Nuytten said.

Lyon County Habitat built six houses before combining with the Redwood County Habitat and the Redwood people are excited about the opportunity, Nuytten said.

"They wanted it to be done by Labor Day," he said.

To help raise money, Habitat is sponsoring a Bobby Vee concert on Aug. 8 at Prairie's Edge Casino. Tickets are on sale online through the casino and Habitat, and at Hy-Vee, County Fair, Bremer Bank, and KMHL radio station. General admission is $25. Meet and greet VIP tickets are $50, which includes getting to meet Vee and get his autograph.

"There are only 50 VIP tickets available," DeCramer said.

A good time to get more information will be at the grand opening Thursday, which will include a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Food and prizes will be available.

Another way people can help out is to volunteer, said Joyce DeCramer, manager of the Habitat Re-Store, located at 707 Fairview Road (behind True Value Hardware Store on North 8th Street.

The Re-Store, which carries home building and decorating supplies, is open from 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, DeCramer said.

Volunteers are needed to work in the store, doing whatever needs to be done, including waiting on customers, stocking shelves; picking up, taking in, and cleaning the merchandise; making displays, answering the phone, and other jobs. In short, DeCramer said, "anything you'd do in a store."

There is other work, including doing newsletters and brochures, and grant writing.

The nice thing is volunteers "can work any hours they like," DeCramer added.

The Re-Store needs a volunteer coordinator to keep track of all those volunteers, most particularly to make sure there are volunteers in the store whenever it's open. DeCramer said that she's had to close the store a few times because there was no one there to work.

Habitat also needs a church relations coordinator, "a liaison between the churches and us," DeCramer said, "to contact churches about events coming up and volunteer jobs like sheetrock workers for a house."

If that person can talk to community organizations like the Kiwanis and Lions, so much the better, DeCramer said, because they need someone to reach out in that direction, too.

Board members like Nuytten are all volunteer, as well.

Of course, construction volunteers and supervisors for those volunteers are needed when the group builds a house.

The economy has hurt and helped the store, Nuytten said. People have less money to spend, but "the people who need stuff and don't have enough money, come to us," he said.

DeCramer pointed out the store is open to the public.

"A lot of people think it's not," she said.

The store accepts donations from businesses and private individuals.

All donations, including financial, should be sent to the local office. Donations of supplies should be dropped off during store hours.

"We're offering an outlet for companies to reduce their inventory," Nuytten said.

"It's a tax deduction and it keeps it out of our landfills," DeCramer added.