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Men’s Sheds: Retooling Community,  ‘Purpose’ for Older Iowans

by Amy "frankie" Felegy

Three men loading a large blue and white box onto an aluminum trailer.
Photo Credit: Cedar Valley Men's Shed
People with the Cedar Valley Men's Shed built and delivered a new donation box for the Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo, Iowa.

This is the first group of its kind in Iowa. It’s for guys who love lifelong learning, community service, and picking up projects.

Last spring, Harold Dirks (well, his wife) spotted a small poster at their local Cedar Falls Public Library. In the year since, that poster has led him to new friends, skills, and a whole lot of checked boxes on his accomplishments list. 

That poster? A bulletin for the Cedar Valley Men’s Shed.

Seven men standing in front of an open garage with bags.
Photo Credit: Cedar Valley Men’s Shed
“We have a rather broad, eclectic group of guys in many ways,” Men’s Shed participant Harold Dirks says. Men range across age, background, religion, and political affiliation.

Iowa’s first Men’s Shed formed in 2024. It’s part of a global initiative starting in the late 20th century to bring more craft and community to older men, boosting social health and wellness.

Meeting weekly, Cedar Valley Men’s Shed participants—averaging over a dozen and typically over age 65—connect across town for different projects. Recents include painting at an arts center, building a donation box for a nearby animal humane society, and checking out the local makerspace. Or sometimes, they’ll just link up for eggs and coffee.

“Men’s Shed now has been an interesting outlet,” says Dirks, 74. “It’s getting me involved more with the community in general.”

That’s the goal of groups like these, says Dr. Melinda Heinz: community. The assistant professor of gerontology—the study of aging—founded and facilitates the group. She studied Men’s Sheds in Ireland on a U.S. Fulbright Scholarship.

“I think we are having a moment right now with social health in the U.S.,” Heinz says. “We need to be thinking about, ‘How are we serving people who are socially isolated and lonely?’”

A man with light skin and a flannel shirt holds a paintbrush and poses next to a snail planter.
Photo Credit: Cedar Valley Men’s Shed
Cedar Valley Men’s Shed participants painted planters at Waterloo Center for the Arts.
Three older men with light skin chatting in a living room.
Photo Credit: Cedar Valley Men’s Shed
Armed with blueprints, coffee, and a comfy living room, Cedar Valley Men’s Shed participants meet at various locations around the area each week.
A large garden box with sprouts growing from it.
Photo Credit: Cedar Valley Men’s Shed
“The guys” built these community garden beds, says Cedar Valley Men’s Shed founder Dr. Melinda Heinz.
Two people standing outdoors by a path with overgrown trees and bushes. They are both holding shears, cutting back the branches.
Photo Credit: Cedar Valley Men’s Shed
Participants like Harold Dirks find that their participation in community activities has increased, thanks to the group.

“Somebody will tell me the shed has really impacted them and really benefited them. And I think, ‘Okay, if it’s beneficial for at least one person, it prevents loneliness, suicide, depression in one person, then it matters.’”

LISA NOBLE, SOMETHING ELSE

Heinz says people who want to start a Men’s Shed should start small. Find an easy place to meet and exchange ideas like a restaurant, senior center, or library. Then keep meeting. 

She’ll intersperse “maker” days with informational talks from guest speakers. Or sometimes the men will gather to clean up the local park. This May, they’re partnering with a local student group to run a mental health awareness walk. 

Two older men with light skin standing at sawhorses with wood.
Photo Credit: Cedar Valley Men’s Shed
Heinz says she’s considering making the group a nonprofit organization and is looking for a permanent location.

Many men post-retirement, Heinz says, lose the structure and purpose jobs give them. Groups like these fill that fissure. 

“Their career is their identity, right?” she says. “And then when you no longer have that, for a lot of men, who are you now?” 

That answer is plain at the Men’s Shed. They’re builders and creators; crafters and pals; doers and connectors. 

And, hammer or paintbrush in hand, they’re all these things together.

Midwest Men’s Sheds

Visit usmenssheds.org/find-a-shed for more information on these Men’s Sheds in the region.

Illinois

  • Elgin Area Men’s Shed, Elgin
  • Morton Men’s Shed, Morton

Iowa

  • Cedar Valley Men’s Shed, Cedar Falls
  • (Emerging) Men’s Shed, Clive

Michigan

  • Kingdom Builders Men’s Shed & Wellness Center, Battle Creek
  • Community Shed of Mid-Michigan, Midland
  • Grand Traverse Men’s Shed, Williamsburg

Minnesota

  • Gillespie Center Men’s Shed, Mound
  • Hopkins Men’s Shed, Hopkins
  • The Glenn Men’s Shed, Minnetonka
  • St. Cloud Men’s Shed, St. Cloud
  • (Emerging) Broadway Village Men’s Shed, Crystal

Wisconsin

  • Barron County Men’s Shed, Barron
  • Juneau County Men’s Shed, Mauston
  • Richland Co. Men’s Shed, Cazenovia
  • The Shed of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
  • Tosa Men’s Shed, Wauwatosa
  • Oconomowoc Men’s Shed, Sullivan