ROSEVILLE, Minn. — Employees of the Shane Co. in Woodbury spent a few hours away from their store to stuff backpacks with school supplies.
"I like my job a lot so I'm gonna go ahead and not put any jewelry in there," assistant sales manager Nick Edwards said.
Jokes aside, the items that do go into each bag are essential for student success. Everything is already stored at a warehouse in Roseville. It's headquarters for the Kids in Need Foundation.
"Through our 41 resource centers across the country, we provide roughly $100 million worth of school supplies, free of charge, to teachers and students and it's all through the support of wonderful corporate partners and donors who make this happen for us," CEO Corey Gordon said.
The 85 backpacks Shane Co. employees assembled Wednesday will go to College Prep Elementary in St. Paul.
"There's so much more to worry about right now than there was before and it's nice to know that maybe this is one less thing that someone else has to worry about," Edwards said.
The Shane Co. recently donated $100,000 to Kids in Need Foundation. Their partnership also involves encouraging customers to add a $5 donation to their in-store and online purchases.
"They're getting brand new products. That way they can fit in the class just like every other kid," Gordon said.
This could be an option for your next workplace team building excursion. While several corporate teams are already scheduled to volunteer each day, Gordon says time slots are still available.
Here's one more way to help.
Now through Thursday, Sept. 2, the Bay Laurel Fund is collecting backpacks and school supplies at North Commons Park at 2117 West West River Rd. in Minneapolis. You can drop off items or send them in the mail attn: Yvette Griffea-Gray.
Skye says the following items are needed in new condition:
- Backpacks (slightly used is okay)
- Crayons
- Markers
- Highlighters
- Pencils
- Pens
- Colored Pencils
- Glue
- Composition notebooks, spiral notebooks
- Loose leaf notebook paper
- Binders
- Dividers
- Erasers
- Scissors
- Calculators
- Disinfectant wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Facial tissues
On the final day of collection next Thursday, families will be able to pick up the donated items during a back-to-school celebration from 6-8 p.m. at the park. The event also offers families a free meal. Plus, at least a dozen barbers will be there to provide free haircuts to kids.
"So they're fresh for the first day of school," Bay Laurel Fund co-founder Kyle Skye said. "We're dealing with people that don't really have much. So the COVID-19, that's just one of many problems that these families have to deal with. If you want to be a part of what we're doing, please do reach out."