Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP)

The RSVP program matches volunteers aged 55 and older with opportunities to help their communities by utilizing their individual skills, interests and availability. RSVP volunteers choose how, where, and when they want to serve, with commitments ranging from a few hours to 40 hours per week.

In Minnesota, as of 2025 6,962 volunteers served 873,632 hours through from the following 11 RSVP programs (Minnesota Statutes 2025, section 256.9753).

ACE of Southwest Minnesota (8 counties)
Program website: ACE of Southwest Minnesota
- Counties served: Cottonwood, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, and Rock
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $32,032
- Contract number #: 252604
- Current Number of Stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 394
- Current Number of unduplicated volunteers: 2,775
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers provide weekly, ongoing companionship and social engagement through congregate dining programs and in-home friendly visiting services
- Volunteers provide regularly scheduled in-home, unskilled respite services to family caregivers of older adults
- Volunteers deliver and support evidence-based health promotion programs and Bone Builder exercise classes for older adults
- Volunteers provide ongoing Nutrition/Food Support services at Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) distribution sites and Home Delivered Meal (HDM) program
Anoka County (1 county)
Program website: Anoka County
- County served: Anoka
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $17,143
- Contract #: 252606
- Current Number of Stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 42
- Current Number of unduplicated volunteers: 265
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers provide companionship respite care for clients for 3-5 hours 2-times a month
- Volunteers will drive older people and veterans to their homes to medical appointment and return them home
- Volunteers will assist with developing human, monetary, and material resources to assist local non-profit organizations to carry out their missions. This may include food rescue, delivering meals on wheels, picking up and sorting donations for food shelves, this may also include assisting at income and property tax sites.
Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (3 counties)
Program website: Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency
- Counties served: Cook, Lake and St. Louis
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $42,426
- Contract #: 252934
- Current number of stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 83
- Current number of unduplicated volunteers: 730
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers provide Meals on Wheels to deliver nutritious meals to older adults.
- Volunteers will provide support for medical services and outreach initiatives by assisting partner stations at health fairs, screenings, and educational events.
- Volunteers will support financial literacy and free tax assistance services by serving as trained tax preparation volunteers that provide free, accurate tax filing assistance to eligible community members.
Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota (20 counties)
Program website: Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota
- Counties served: Blue Earth, Brown, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Jackson, LeSueur, Martin, Mower, Nicollet, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan, and Winona
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $109,493
- Contract #: 253420
- Current number of stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 143
- Current number of unduplicated volunteers: 1,228
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers educate and assist older adults with patient assistance programs, offered by pharmaceutical companies, that offer cost free medication for those who qualify.
- Volunteers provide companionship and respite care for older adults experiencing loneliness and isolation, and offer respite for caregivers
- Volunteers provide rides to seniors in need of transportation for medical appointments and other engagements
- Volunteers provide Meals on Wheels and community meal support
- Volunteers prepare taxes and assist at volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) sites
Ecumen (6 counties)
Program website: Ecumen
- Counties served: Chippewa, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Renville, and Swift
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $65,000
- Contract #: 252607
- Current number of stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 44
- Current number of unduplicated volunteers: 292
Goals/objectives
- In partnership with Central Community Transit and Prairie Five Rides, volunteers will provide transportation for older adult community members.
- Volunteers work in local food pantries to meet the needs of those who struggle with food insecurity, by sorting, boxing, and delivering food items to residents who request assistance.
- Volunteers in RSVP will also focus on supporting the aging adult population through programs like Home Delivered Meals programs, which utilizes volunteers to deliver nutritionally balanced meals to homebound seniors throughout all six counties.
ElderCircle (2 counties)
Program website: ElderCircle
- Counties served: Itasca and Koochiching
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $52,825
- Contract #252829
- Current number of stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 41
- Current number of unduplicated volunteers: 590
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers lead exercise classes that improve physical strength, balance and flexibility that may prevent falls.
- Volunteers do grocery shopping and delivery, prepare meals and deliver for Meals on Wheels sites
- Volunteers provide transportation to and from same-day medical appointments anywhere in Minnesota.
- Volunteers complete specialized IRS-certified training and provide tax preparation services to low to moderate income clients with special emphasis on serving older adults.
Greater St. Cloud (4 counties)
Program website: Greater St. Cloud
- Counties served: Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $58,894
- Contract #: 252859
- Current number of stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 162
- Current number of unduplicated volunteers 1,234
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers will serve over 25,000 unduplicated individuals annually at urban and rural food shelves
- Volunteers will serve 600 unduplicated individuals across 10 local companionship partner sites
- Volunteers will serve 4,500 unduplicated individuals through six regional volunteer driver partner sites.
- Volunteers will support the local police departments in St. Cloud and Sartell, and the Wright County Sheriff’s Department, in preventing elder fraud and scams.
Mahube-Otwa (5 counties)
Program website: Mahube-Otwa
- Counties served: Becker, Hubbard, Otter Tail, Mahnomen, and Wadena
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $52,070
- Contract #: 296422
- Current number of stations managing and scheduling volunteers: New contract, building stations
- Current Number of unduplicated volunteers: New contract, building volunteer pool
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers will provide free, high-quality tax preparation services combined with financial education
- Volunteers support local food shelves by assisting with food distributions to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.
- Volunteers help maintain food shelf operations.
- Volunteers support thrift store operations increase efficiency, expand the availability of goods.
Volunteer Services of Carlton County (2 counties)
Program website: Volunteer Services of Carlton County
- Counties served: Aitkin and Carlton Counties
- Total award for fiscal year 2027: $34,123
- Contract #: 252821
- Current number of stations managing and scheduling volunteers: 16
- Current number of unduplicated volunteers: 180
Goals/objectives
- Volunteers will provide transportation services to individuals to medical appointments.
- Volunteers will provide hot food meal delivery, senior dining and community meals to homebound and/or older adults and/or individuals with disabilities.
- Volunteers will provide food distribution services to individuals experiencing food insecurity.
- Volunteers will provide socially isolated older adults regular visits and respite services.