Be the reason a student walks into class prepared. Every pencil packed, every box filled, and every hour given by volunteers helps remove barriers between students and quality education — and there’s no time of year when those hours matter more than back-to-school season.

At Kids In Need Foundation, we’re dedicated to ensuring students and teachers have the supplies and support they need to learn, grow, and thrive in the classroom. Whether you want to volunteer on-site, get your company involved, or make a difference from home, here’s how to find the back-to-school volunteer opportunity that fits you.

Why Back-to-School Is When Your Help Matters Most

2 out of 3 students start the school year without school supplies, and 100% of teachers report spending their own money on essential classroom supplies. In the country’s most under-resourced schools — where 70% or more of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals — those first weeks of school set the tone for the entire year. Volunteers are how backpacks get built, shelves get stocked, and supplies get into classrooms in time for the first bell.

On-Site Volunteer Opportunities

If you’re near our facility in Little Canada, Minnesota — or one of the Teacher Resource Centers in our national network — you can roll up your sleeves and get hands-on. On-site volunteers help us:

• Build Supply A Student backpacks — pack backpacks filled with the essentials students need to start the year prepared
• Build Supply A Teacher boxes — assemble boxes of classroom supplies that support teachers directly
• Sort, pack, and organize donated supplies
• Restock the Teacher Resource Center store and prepare inventory
• Support teacher shopping — helping educators from under-resourced schools pick up free supplies for their classrooms
• Lend a hand with special projects and custom school supply product builds

No experience needed — just a few hours and a willingness to help. Every shift translates directly into prepared students and supported teachers.

Volunteer From Home

Not near a facility? You can still make a real difference from anywhere:

• Host a supply drive — mobilize your community and collect essential supplies for under-resourced teachers and students. Our toolkit gives you everything you need to organize a drive at your school, workplace, or neighborhood.
• Create handmade items — crafters can contribute tie-blankets and knitted hats, mittens, and gloves that go to students who need them.
• Fundraise — invite friends, family, and coworkers to join you. The more people who give, the more students and teachers we can support.

Fundraising Ideas for Schools and Communities That Stock Classrooms

If hands-on hours aren’t an option, fundraising is one of the most powerful back-to-school volunteer opportunities there is — and some of the best fundraising ideas for schools, workplaces, and communities are also the simplest:

• Start a peer-to-peer fundraiser — invite friends, family, and coworkers to join you through our Fundraise page. The more people who give, the more students and teachers we can support.
• Turn your supply drive into a hybrid drive — collect supplies and monetary gifts at the same event, so people can participate however works for them.
• Rally your workplace — employee teams can pair a backpack build with a fundraising challenge for under-resourced classrooms.
• Give where you already shop — brand partners like Chipotle have used round-up and digital fundraising technology to let customers contribute to organizations like KINF through everyday delivery and pick-up orders — proof that small change adds up to real classroom impact.

Every dollar raised helps keep our national network of Teacher Resource Centers stocked, so teachers from under-resourced schools can shop for the supplies their students need — completely free.

Volunteer as a Team: Corporate and Group Opportunities

Back-to-school is the perfect moment for team building with purpose. Employee teams can take on hands-on volunteering — like backpack builds — or rally around fundraising for under-resourced classrooms. Looking for a deeper collaboration? Explore our corporate partnerships and create lasting impact through meaningful, mission-driven programs.

More Ways to Help Kids in Need

Volunteering is just one way to get involved. You can also:

• Donate supplies — send new, K–12 appropriate school supplies directly to students and teachers through our Give Product program
• Give monthly — join our community of monthly givers and provide consistent support to teachers and students all year long
• Spread the word — share our mission with your network during back-to-school season, when the need is most visible

Sign Up to Volunteer

It’s more than just a backpack. What goes inside sparks creativity, builds confidence, and opens doors for kids regardless of their circumstances — and it gets there because volunteers like you make it happen.

This back-to-school season, join us in building a future where every student can learn with confidence and every teacher can teach without barriers.