Men’s Shed Holiday Craft Fair offers fruits of fellowship

Peek inside the Sand Island warehouse space used by the Hawaii Men’s Shed program and you may think you’re in Santa’s workshop.

A wooden playhouse is under construction, and recycled pallet wood is being crafted into handmade holiday ornaments and “Live Aloha” signs — all in preparation for the program’s Holiday Craft Fair, scheduled for Nov. 18. Recycled wood furniture, power tools and a rummage sale also will be a part of the free event.

The Men’s Shed gives male seniors and retirees a place to gather, tinker with woodworking projects and socialize, according to Mick McAndrews, the program’s president. He said isolation is a common problem for older men who are unmarried or have lost a spouse, and can lead to depression and declining health.

“Combating loneliness and providing a place for them to be valued and interact with peers is a step toward improving senior men’s health,” he said. “Some of them might just be staying at home, watching TV and waiting to die.”

The international Men’s Shed movement was started in Australia about a decade ago. The Hawaii program has been around since April 2016, when it received its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status. Forty members pay a $25 annual membership fee to help with program costs. The group meets 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“Our shed is an interesting mixture of blue- and white-collar retirees. We have guys with doctorates, university professors, carpenters, electricians, bicycle repairmen and even a dentist,” McAndrews said. Ages generally range from 60 to 90, although a 29-year-old Army combat veteran and wood tinkerer also joined the group.

“It’s fun. We can all learn from each other,” McAndrews said. “We work together, talk together, laugh together and form friendships. … Give a man a hammer, paintbrush or screwdriver to wield and a world of opportunities to talk, build, create personal self-worth and have fun appears.”