Sharing and Caring Hands shelter razed for new facility

Sharing and Caring Hands founder Mary Jo Copeland hopped into a bulldozer on Thursday and made the first pass at tearing down the homeless shelter she helped build.

But the demolition was a celebration, as she is embarking on a $5 million expansion project to update the nonprofit organization's 30-year-old campus to better serve some of Minneapolis' needy residents.

"There's a bit of sadness," said Copeland, 72, wearing a hard hat, a safety vest and a smile. "I spent so many years in that building. It's a lot of memories."

The renovation project will add space for youth centers and temporary housing. It is a dramatic expansion of a shelter Copeland started decades ago to provide food, temporary shelter, clothing, transportation and other amenities to the city's poorest residents.

The new facility is set to open in mid-July, adding eight family-sized apartments to the building's upper two levels as well as new children and teen centers on its main floor. Most of the 150 occupants of the new space will be young. Copeland said the existing space for about 400 children needs an upgrade.

"This [project] is going to give some families that have really been in crisis and lost a lot of hope another chance to stay a little longer," Copeland said.

Sharing and Caring Hands' temporary housing building, named Mary's Place after the Virgin Mary, currently houses 92 residential units. The remodeling project is not displacing any of the residents, and staff members have made space available in the community rooms for tutoring and recreational activities until the opening.

The organization spends more than $400,000 a month on the needs of the thousands of families and children, solely with private funds. And since Target Field's opening five years ago, Copeland said the area's new traffic has helped increased donations to her organization.

Council Member Lisa Goodman said Copeland's success with raising private money and rarely approaching the city for any type of help is impressive. Throughout their relationship, which has spanned two decades, Goodman said she has been inspired by Copeland's charitable work.

"You spend any time with her and you see her eyes light up when she can help the lives of children," she said. "You can't but want to help, too."

Of her many accolades, Copeland has helped former President George W. Bush with fundraising initiatives and received the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2013, which is the nation's second-highest civilian honor.

Nalee Lor remembers being 5 years old and watching the sun rise while standing in line outside Sharing and Caring Hands' building with her mother and other residents, waiting to get a morning meal. Twenty-four years later, Lor is Copeland's assistant.

Copeland said it is an emotional time in her three-decade career of charity work.

"I've been opening that door for years and years," she said. "The memories of a lot of people who came for food and clothing; it's a lot of memories."

But even though the building holds many cherished moments, Copeland and her husband, Dick, said they are glad to watch the organization grow to meet the city's growing needs.

"It's been a long run," he said.

Jessica Lee is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.