Read"How to Start a Shed"at the end of this article.
Dont worry Stan, someone pipes up.
We wont start razzing you until youve been here a few times.
Whos going out on Saturday to distribute the bikes we fixed up for kids?
Theres no sense all of us driving alone.
But theydowant to get out of the house.
Although not literally a shed, Mens Sheds serve as a place for hanging out.
Or maybe its more like shop class.
(Sheds also provide an audience for health education and outreach efforts that are targeted to older men.)
The Men’s Shed as a productive place for older men was born in Australia in the 1990s.
Mens Sheds are newly taking root in the United States.
The Hopkins shed was among the first in the U.S. when it debuted in 2017.
At the start of 2019, the number had grown to more than a dozen in eight states.
Guys say they’re going to the shed to help the community, Helmers explains.
But they’re also going for themselves.
His father led an active life as well until he retired.
It was a perfect fit for us!
says Susan Newville, the center’s director.
Johnson helped form theU.S.
The task: decorate 300 paper grocery bags that will be used to distribute food to low-income families.
The problem was only a gasket, but she thought we were geniuses.
Once retired, we men may feel useless and underfoot, bored and depressed, Johnson observes.
Were programmed to be independent and not ask for help.
We dont realize the enrichment from being with others.
He notes how medical studies link loneliness with strokes, high-blood pressure and weakened immune systems.
Social isolation, especially among older men, is a growing concern.
He contacted the Australian Mens Shed Association, hoping to find a U.S.-based shed to join.
We wondered when you Yanks were going to start a mens shed, they said.
Glad that youre willing to do it.
The big draw is a treasure chest of tools donated through a Craigs List ad.
We’ve got drill presses, lathes, tables saws, Sears says proudly.
Old tools, but excellent ones.
No sharp objects, they told him.
Five-dozen volunteers joined the cleanup, some with their own jackhammers.
At least one shed member is known to have been diagnosed with dementia.
He wasnt able to speak a complete sentence when he started coming to the shed, Sears says.
But now he speaks pretty well when hes here.
The tool that interests him most is a saw, which he plays as a musical instrument.
We all whistle songs we want to hear, and that helps him remember the tunes, explains Sears.
Not all Mens Sheds are centered around making things.
We dont do woodworking but otherwise were like other sheds, says founder Steve Werner.
We share stories and build camaraderie, but we do it by offering presentations.
Members also connect for breakfast and a regular round of potluck dinners.
When Werner moved to Florida in 2016, he vowed to devote himself to golf.
But after about a year I started to get bored, he explains.
As happened with Glenn Sears in Hawaii, his wife showed him a newspaper article.
(This one was about the U.S. Mens Shed Association.)
Werner and three friends (one a woman) formed the steering committee.
Women play a big role in encouraging men to get involved in Mens Sheds, he notes.
But for many women, the value of Mens Sheds is how they help the men in their lives.
How to Start a Shed
Visit theU.S.
Mens Sheds Associations' website to see if theres already a shed nearby.
Groups are forming in Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Advice from an existing shed can be useful in starting a shed.
(The Hopkins shed, for instance, mentored the founders of sheds in Minnesota and Wisconsin.)
Most sheds like the convenience of an established meeting place that is familiar to people.
Others have opted to strike out on their own.
The guideStarting a Mens Shedfrom the U.S. Mens Sheds Association lays out the details of each approach.
These can be friends and neighbors with a shared interest or experience organizing informal informational events.
Get together to craft a vision for the shed, and then map out ways to make it happen.
Dont venture to do the work alone, counsels Steve Werner of the Palm Beach County shed.
He enlisted three acquaintances as a Mens Shed steering committee.
Eight people showed up and weve been going ever since.
And be ready to tweak your plans based on members preferences.
Johnson and his Hopkins shed cofounders were imagining a wood shop as their main activity.
Jay Walljasper is a Minnesota-based journalist and author ofThe Great Neighborhood Book.
He writes, speaks and consults about livable communities.
