Longtime Habitat superviser Bill Turner, 85, of Minnetonka, Minn., eats his Wheaties every morning. He did so again before going to the General Mills Habitat for Humanity project site, where he is the house leader and supervises three crew leaders and 15 volunteers.

During this project, Habitat's most famous volunteer – Jimmy Carter – was to lend a hand.  

The former president worked in the same neighborhood as General Mills volunteers to help finish a project that was started in June.

“General Mills crews are the best I’ve ever worked with,” says Turner, a Habitat volunteer for 18 years who arrived at the site wearing his Wheaties sweatshirt. “They come to work, and when they get done with a task, they look for something else to do.”

The former president also comes ready and focused, says Turner, who worked with Carter on Habitat projects in Georgia and Texas. “He’s a no-nonsense guy. He comes to work.” 

The construction dovetails with the kickoff of the 2010 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, a week-long initiative to build, renovate and repair 26 Twin Cities homes, primarily in north Minneapolis and east St. Paul.

Providing housing and hope General Mills volunteer Mike Viland, has pounded nails, sawed siding and hung windows since General Mills became a Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity partner in 1992.

“I’ve really enjoyed it," he said during his shift at the site. "The results are tangible. The dedications are really special. The stories are all heartwarming.”

“Habitat for Humanity, to me, is something I believe in, and it’s a fun and rewarding experience. It is very fulfilling and beneficial to everyone,” says Mike Nordstrom of General Mills. He is also a Twin Cities Habitat board member.

“You learn from this, and get to know people on a personal level. Working side by side with the new homeowner gives you a firsthand understanding of how impactful everyone's efforts are in helping the family get a home they can call their own. It's a feeling you never forget," Nordstrom says.

More than local Support and volunteer help from General Mills isn't just occuring at the local level.

"A World of Hope: It Starts at Home," is a comprehensive campaign to raise more than $36 million over four years to expand Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity services, including rehabilitating or building 730 homes, which would bring the total to 5,200 by 2014.

Nordstrom and Chris Shea, General Mills Foundation president, will soon travel to Mumbai, India. They will deliver a $25,000 Foundation donation to build five to eight homes in the Mumbai area.

“Every day, our Foundation, company, employees and retirees bring our Nourishing Lives mission to life. The World of Hope campaign dovetails with this mission, and we are proud to be involved,” says General Mills CEO Ken Powell.

Inside General Mills