Kids In Need Timeline

1995 and 1996

What is now known as the Kids In Need Foundation was established in 1995 as the SHOPA Foundation for Educational Excellence by the School, Home, & Office Products Association (SHOPA) as a means of giving back to a community that is integral to the school supplies and office products industry. The Board of Directors took this time to determine the mission and means of supporting that mission, designing programs to carry out the mission, and forming partnerships and alliances with other nonprofit organizations. By the end of 1996, the following had been achieved:

• The Foundation was established as a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization with a mission to recognize, promote, and support initiatives that foster educational excellence
• Foundation goals were identified and programs were designed for providing free school supplies to needy children (Kids ‘N Need) and curriculum grants to teachers (Help-A-Teacher)
• Fundraising strategy was crafted
• An executive director was hired

1997

The first Kids `N Need Resource Center was opened in Chicago. Located in a warehouse operated by World Vision, Inc., the first teacher shoppers chose the school supplies needed by their students from boxes stacked on pallets. Five and a half million dollars worth of product was distributed to 25,000 children. The Help-A-Teacher grants program found its first sponsor, Fred Meyer, whose role was to publicize the availability of the grants and distribute the applications from their stores in six states in the Northwest. During the first year of that program, $25,000 in grants of $250 to $1,000 was awarded to 37 teachers.

1998

Foundation programs quickly grew to include Kids `N Need Resource Centers in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and teachers in the Northeast also became eligible for Help-A-Teacher grants through the additional sponsorship of Ames Department Stores. The Foundation’s efforts to increase awareness and raise funds resulted in:

• seven tracker trailer loads of product were donated by exhibitors at the 1998 SHOPA SHOW
• $40,000 in Help-A-Teacher grants was awarded to 56 teachers in 19 states

1999

In 1999, the name of both programs became Kids In Need. Kids In Need Resource Centers were opened in Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Minneapolis. Additionally, a formal relationship was forged with Crayons to Computers in Cincinnati. Although still located in warehouse settings, the Centers adopted the design of retail stores with fixturing and shelving. Two additional resellers became involved with the Kids In Need Teacher Grants program, Sav-On Office Supplies in the Southwest and Price-Less Drug Stores in Northern California. In addition:

• the first Kids In Need Summit was hosted in Cincinnati with 12 people in attendance
• $76,000 in grants was awarded to 106 teachers in 37 states
• 35% of SHOPA SHOW exhibitors donated booth product resulting in nine trailer trucks full of product
• the first Award Gala was held; Ames Department Stores was honored with 235 guests attending
• a program manager was hired
• the first cause-related marketing campaign was held when a SHOPA member company placed the Kids In Need logo on the packaging of one of their school supply products

2000

• With the hiring of a third staff member, the gift-in-kind coordinator, an inventory management system was put in place to track product and begin forecasting needs
• purchases of product began to supplement donated items
• Kids In Need Resource Centers were opened in South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) and Detroit
• the second annual Award Gala honored Office Depot and drew more than 500 guests
• $100,000 in Kids In Need Teacher Grants was awarded to 133 teachers in 40 states through the sponsorship of five retailers including Longs Drug Stores in California
• PAWS, Inc., provided Garfield likeness to help promote Kids In Need

2001

In 2001, the Foundation began talks with OfficeMax, Inc., about opening a Resource Center in Cleveland. A steering committee of local business men and women was formed, and in November, the ribbon-cutting ceremony took place. With the addition of the Cleveland Center, the Foundation was serving 750,000 children. The Teacher Grants program changed the grant award amounts to $100 to $500.

• 119 grants totaling $90,500 were awarded
• the Award Gala honored Target; 425 guests attended
• Kids In Need distributed $34 million worth of school supplies, a 100 percent increase over the year before

2002

Very soon after the Cleveland Resource Center opened, OfficeMax committed to sponsoring the Resource Center in Chicago. The two Centers were providing supplies to nearly 200,000 of the 830,000 students being served by the Foundation.

• a Resource Center in Newark was opened
• backpacks stuffed with supplies were provided to more than 16,000 kids through programs sponsored by White Castle, The Coca-Cola Company, Kaiser Permanente, GE Lighting, and GE Medical
• OfficeMax received the 2002 SHOPA Foundation Award for Educational Excellence. The efforts exerted by OfficeMax on behalf of Kids In Need resulted in a record-setting evening, raising more than $280,000 with nearly 600 people in attendance.
• $22.3 million in school supplies was distributed, and $70,900 was awarded through the issuance of 95 grants

2003

Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., became the first national sponsor of the Kids In Need Teacher Grants program, and the program became totally self-supportive. One hundred and sixty-one grants totaling $66,000 were awarded. The total number of Resource Centers was 12, but the Foundation had formed relationships with many free stores for teachers that were being established across the country. Twenty-four people attended the annual Summit.

• the North Texas Resource Center was opened, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company
• Kroger Company and United Stationers were honored at the Award Gala
• Kids In Need Resource Centers served nearly one million students
• a fundraising manager was hired
• 76% of people responding to a survey conducted by the Foundation said they were more likely to shop at a store which supported teachers and education than at a store which did not

2004

The Foundation officially started doing business as the SHOPA Kids In Need Foundation. The Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers was formed, and nine independently run free stores joined as affiliates. The 21 Resource Centers in the network served 1.1 million students.

• 50 people attended the annual Summit
• $77,000 in grants was awarded to 182 teachers
• Wal-Mart was the Award Gala honoree, and $194,000 was raised for the Foundation

2005

Sara Lee conducted a nationwide cause-related marketing program to benefit Kids In Need. This accounted for $350,000 worth of the total $23 million worth of school supplies distributed to children most in need. Florida and the Gulf Coast regions of the country were ravaged by three major hurricanes in August and September. The Foundation began a major supply drive to help affected schools and students recover. Partnering with OfficeMax and the U.S. Department of Education, the Foundation was able to efficiently distribute $7 million worth of supplies to the area.

• the total amount of product distributed by the Foundation since its founding reached $200 million
• Office Depot joined the Teacher Grants program as a national sponsor; $104,000 was awarded to 260 teachers in grants
• Staples was honored at the Award Gala, raising $300,000 for the Foundation
• in its first ten years of operation, the Foundation served 6.5 million kids

2006

The Award Gala gave the Foundation an opportunity to honor several manufacturers and retailers that have been particularly supportive during its first decade of service. Eight companies were honored: 3M; Avery Dennison; Fibre-Craft Materials; MeadWestvaco; Office Depot; OfficeMax, Inc.; Target; World Vision, Inc. The Foundation distributed nearly $29 million worth of product, including a donation of 319 tons of paper donated to schools in the Gulf Coast region. The School Box program, a school supplies giveaway program that can be conducted in communities not served by Resource Centers, became part of the services offered by the Foundation.

• $110,000 was awarded to 270 teachers in grants
• the Foundation purchased more than $250,000 worth of school supplies to ensure that the basics items needed by students are on the shelves of the Resource Centers
• 73 people attended the annual Summit
• the Foundation served 1.3 million children and 75,000 teachers through the Kids In Need National Network

2007

At the beginning of 2007, the Kids In Need Resource Center program was slightly restructured to make all Resource Centers affiliates of the Kids In Need National Network. The Phoenix Center closed, and World Vision added three Centers, bringing the total number of Centers in the National Network to 23. The Foundation became known as the Kids In Need Foundation. Target became the national sponsor and sponsored the 2007 Kids In Need Foundation Gala, which was held in Minneapolis. It was the first time the Gala had not been attached to the tradeshow and the first time the Gala did not honor a retailer. It was instead an Education Celebration. The result was that attendance dropped somewhat, but the focus of the evening was more on the Foundation and the children who need help getting school supplies. Erin Gruwell (The Freedom Writers Diary) was the guest speaker. The Foundation adopted a new mission statement – to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need – and began using a new logo.

SHOPA, which had been struggling for several years, laid off its last employees at the end of October. In December, the offices of the Kids In Need Foundation were moved to 3077 Kettering Blvd., Suite 114, Dayton, OH 45439, and began the legal process of separating itself from SHOPA.

• 83 people attended the annual Summit
• $102,000 was awarded to 242 teachers in grants
• the Foundation had distributed $33 million worth of product

2008

The Foundation achieved great success in 2008. For the first time, two teachers were recognized at the Gala with Teacher of the Year awards, and each recipient received monetary awards and free school supplies for their school. The Detroit Store, operated by World Vision closed during 2008, but was reopened with the support and assistance from Community in Schools in Detroit. The Center recently held its grand opening in a new facility and hopes to serve as many teachers and students as possible. Other accomplishments include:

• Secured its legal status as an independent organization from SHOPA
• Increased product donations to $36 million, a 12 percent increase
• Launched VolunteerMatch program to improve volunteerism within the National Network of Resource Centers
• Received a grant to hire a Resource Center Specialist to build a strong partnership between the Resource Centers and the Foundation
• Developed a cause related marketing partnership with Energizer
• Created an online forum as a means of communication for Resource Centers
• Conducted first annual Capacity Survey to facilitate product distribution
• Received 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator
• Enhanced relationship with PPAI and ECRM
• Assisted flood victims in Iowa by donating more than $500,000 in product
• Entered into licensing agreement with agent

The Kids In Need Foundation is a recognized 501(c)(3) charity founded in 1995. Contributions to Kids In Need are tax-deductible to the greatest extent allowed by law.

3077 Kettering Blvd., Suite 114, Dayton, OH 45439 | +1.937.296.1230 | info@kinf.org
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