Fred Benson is the stepfather of Linnann Pearson, who is the new owner of house 7 of the River Falls Eco-Village. Fred was active in helping build Linnann's home (2nd Thrivent Financial home).

He began volunteering in March of 2013 and has over 150 hours for the year. While volunteering, he makes a point to greet others he hasn't yet met and makes them feel welcomed. He tackles every task needed, and he is humble about his abilities. He is a blessing to have at the Eco-Village site. He plans to continue to volunteer in 2014 but is taking a well-deserved break due to the cold weather.

Fred owned the hardware store in River Falls for many years. The opportunity to sell came at the right time and he retired. He still enjoys hardware stores and is known to stop in at the River Falls hardware store, grab a bag of popcorn, and walk the aisles while visiting staff.