Our Mission

The Twin Cities Kids In Need Resource Center (TCKINRC) provides students most in need with free school supplies that make it possible for them to fully participate in classroom learning. Operating as a free store for teachers serving eligible area schools, TCKINRC provides much needed supplies to their students for learning and excelling in the classroom.

Our Vision

To see that every child, in every school, has the same advantage when walking into a classroom, and as a result, prospers and gains the confidence needed to succeed in life.

Our Programs

Resource Center

Caring Tree

Resource Center

Twin Cities Kids In Need works with schools facing high poverty rates in St. Paul and Minneapolis by providing eligible teachers a shopping visit at our free store, and, through our Caring Tree program, partners with social service agencies across the state to distribute backpacks and supplies to students in need. We could not operate without generous donations of product and financial contributions. We are proud to be a program of the Kids In Need Foundation, partnering with 37 other Resource Centers in the national network.

Caring Tree

Over Caring Tree’s 20-year history, more than 200,000 Minnesota K-12 students have returned to school with much needed supplies and backpacks. The Caring Tree program partners with community-based and social service agencies across the state to distribute backpacks and essential supplies to those students most in need.

History

The Twin Cities Kids In Need Resource Center was re-opened in 2012. After the free store run by World Vision, Inc. was closed, the Kids In Need Foundation stepped in to fill the void in the community, and continues serving teachers and students in Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts. The Caring Tree, established in 1993, merged its program with TCKINRC in 2013. Together, the programs complement each other, extending service beyond the Twin Cities to serve students in need across the state.