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"Giving for Goodness" with Tom's of Maine Copy

Kids In Need Foundation partnered with Tom’s of Maine to give 10,000 backpacks of goodness across the country.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – September 26, 2019 – Last week the Kids In Need Foundation partnered with Tom’s of Maine to celebrate teachers across the country. Ten of our National Network Affiliate locations held special teacher shopping events to distribute a total of 10,000 backpacks. Generously donated by Tom’s of Maine, these backpacks were filled with essential school supplies for teachers to give to their students. During back to school time and throughout the year, our resource centers provide free shopping opportunities for teachers at high need schools. This back to school season, Tom’s was there to delightfully surprise and bring a little extra goodness into our teachers’ day. “It’s great. It helps with what we’re teaching in the class and having extra supplies helps the students learn. It’s a great feeling that people want to give back to us and back to the students who may be less fortunate.” ~ Laura Newman, 1st grade teacher, Charlotte Park Elementary at LP Pencil Box, Nashville, TN Tom’s of Maine knows the value of giving kids goodness in their lives and that every child deserves to have a happy and productive school year. They have shown their commitment to communities throughout the country through giving programs like this one. KINF was thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with them for the second year in a row to help bring that commitment to life. “I think it’s a really great opportunity because I see a lot of our teachers spending their own money, so it’s a sigh of relief to be able to give our students supplies on site versus telling them to wait until tomorrow because we have to go out and buy it. Now we have it ready and available on hand. It puts a smile on our kids’ faces that they’re prepared and don’t have to be judged because they don’t have school supplies. We appreciate this opportunity for our kids.” ~ Allison Simpson, Community and School Site Coordinator, Amqui Elementary at LP Pencil Box, Nashville, TN The backpacks were donated in bundles of 1,000 and sent to each selected KINF Affiliate resource center and will be shared with teachers throughout the the semester. Each backpack of goodness was filled with school supplies like notebooks, pencils, rulers, glue sticks, markers, and crayons. Tom’s of Maine also threw in a special extra touch of a card of encouragement for each student who would receive a backpack. “We love this annual event and how it helps to connect teachers at different locations nation-wide. This special day gives them a sense of solidarity, knowing that a brand like Tom’s of Maine and KINF supports them,” said Kristine Cohn, sr. director of development & corporate partnerships at KINF. “It’s all part of helping get students what they need so they can be ready for a bright start to their school year.” Backpack distribution and teacher celebration events were held at each of these locations: East Coast