When students have a backpack full of supplies on the first day of school, it helps set the stage for a successful year. But each year, more than 200,000 students in the greater Twin Cities area return to school without classroom essentials like notebooks, pencils, pens, and calculators.
To help level the playing field for local students, Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW) hosted their 11th annual Action Day. Post Consumer Brands™ was thrilled to serve as a sponsor for another year and help pack more than 1,700 backpacks.
Over 30 employees volunteered at GTCUW’s community packing event on Thursday, July 30 at Allianz Field. They volunteered for two hours, filling nearly 900 backpacks with supplies and writing well wishes to students.
In addition to the community packing event, more than 90 employees gave their time to a satellite event at our Lakeville, Minnesota, office on Tuesday, August 11. Those team members came together to pack more than 900 backpacks that will be distributed to students in the Burnsville, Eagan, and Savage school districts and to the Twin Cities’ Salvation Army ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
“Action Day has supported 400,000 students since its inception 11 years ago,” said Melissa Kadlec, corporate relationship officer at Greater Twin Cities United Way. “That impact would not have been possible without our partners. We are incredibly thankful for Post’s continued support of our Action Day events.”
Between Action Day and satellite events held at other Minnesota businesses throughout the summer, GTCUW aims to pack 55,000 backpacks to distribute throughout the Twin Cities metro and surrounding areas.
“Over the past decade, we’ve grown from serving 6,000 students to over 60,000, thanks to the incredible support of our volunteers, partners and donors,” said John Wilgers, president and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Together, we’re helping to ensure that every child in our community has the support they need to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.”
School supplies provided included notebooks, erasers, glue sticks, pencils, folders, markers, and more, depending on the age of the children receiving the backpacks.
At Post, we have a shared passion for making lives better. Thank you to all volunteers who donated their time to help GTCUW achieve its goal. Post also wishes all students, parents, and teachers a wonderful 2026-27 school year!
Doing right is one of our core values at Post Consumer Brands. Discover how Post is striving to make a positive impact on our communities through volunteering.