Young people are brilliant and dream up futures full of potential. They deserve the opportunity to pursue the futures they dream of, which begins with their education.
That’s why we bring together thousands of volunteers, all the Minnesota sports teams and community partners from around the metro for Action Day. Every year, our collective effort sends tens of thousands of Greater Twin Cities students back to school with a backpack, and the essential school supplies they need to be successful in the classroom.
But Action Day is about more than providing students with backpacks and school supplies. Classroom engagement is the foundation of belonging for school-aged children. When students can participate fully in their classroom, it grows their confidence and sets them up to choose and direct their own future success.
To make Action Day happen, we leverage what we know about the needs of our community and spend a year preparing for a summer-long initiative and one big day of volunteerism and philanthropy.
Families are resilient and resourceful. But 35% of Minnesotans are facing financial hardship. The cost of living is outpacing wages. The data from The State of ALICE in Minnesota and our Minnesota 211 Dashboard are telling us that financial strain is affecting families in our community in complex ways. Our economy, inflation and federal cuts to food, housing and education are putting further pressure on families to do more with less.
From the ALICE data, we know that nearly 2 in 5 K-12 students live in households whose caregivers are ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). For many of these families — despite working one or more jobs — the costs of their basic needs aren’t covered by their wages. This means their daily lives are full of incredibly difficult choices: Pay a utility bill or fill a prescription? Cover their student’s back-to-school costs or cover childcare costs for a younger sibling?
Our work at Greater Twin Cities United Way is about creating thriving communities so that ALICE households aren’t forced to make decisions that no one should have to make.
What I love about Action Day is that it helps ease financial burdens for families who are doing their best to provide for their children. ALICE households are incredibly resourceful. We have the power to show them that they’re not alone. Our neighbors and their children should know they can depend on their communities.
“Being part of Action Day is always an uplifting experience. And being able to volunteer alongside my children and know we are helping students just like them start the school year with the tools and confidence they need to be successful learners is a full circle moment.” – Kristina Zander, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
Action Day means so much to me because it demonstrates how much our community cares. We want to support families, and we want students to have everything they need to participate in their classrooms with confidence and joy, and we want their caregivers to know that they’re not alone.
Getting to Action Day is a yearlong, organization- and community-wide effort. We rely on our relationships with the Minnesota sports teams for space to host 1,000+ volunteers. Our strong corporate partnerships help resource backpacks, supplies and volunteers both at our one-day event and by hosting corporate volunteer events throughout the year.
Our most engaged donors and supporters generously give their time and resources to help us make Action Day happen. And our nonprofit and school district partners work with us throughout the year to help us better understand our community’s needs and distribute backpacks.
Together, we’re already planning for Action Day 2027! We’re looking forward to being back at U.S. Bank Stadium with the Vikings in 2027. Stay connected to learn how you can join us!
This year our community showed up for Action Day! With the support of 137 nonprofit partners and school districts, 47 corporate partners and 6,300+ volunteers, collectively, we provided 55,000+ backpacks full of supplies to local students amounting to over $3 million in retail value going back into our communities.
I am blown away by the number of families and students we could support together, and the retail value of supplies we were able to donate. Both mean more local families could send their students back to school with one less mental and financial burden.
Thank you to our 2026 presenting sponsor, Target, and legacy sponsor, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. A big thank you to Minnesota United FC for hosting us at Allianz Field.
And many, many thanks to our corporate and nonprofit partners. To all our at home volunteers and donors: This work would not be possible without your dedication and support. Thank you for the many ways you care for local students and their families. We are so grateful to you and looking forward to another year of Action Day in 2027!
