The Caring Tree's mission is to promote educational success for Minnesota's K-12 students in-need by ensuring that they have the appropriate school supplies.

CHILDREN IN-NEED
Going back to school can be an exciting time for students.  Some families, however, are not able to afford the basic supplies necessary to start out the school year right.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau: Census 2000, there are over 121,000 Minnesota children living at or below the poverty level and are not able to indulge in this back-to-school shopping tradition.  For those students and families, they rely on The Caring Tree, which creates a way for individuals and companies to collect new back-to-school supplies and funds for low-income, K-12 students in Minnesota communities.

IT'S MORE THAN JUST PENCILS AND PAPER
Each year, lists that specify the required school supplies continue to expand. The total cost of these required supplies can be outrageous!  We believe that children have a better chance for educational achievement if they are equipped with the necessary school supplies, giving them hope for the future.  Students without essential school supplies may believe that they do not have the same opportunity to succeed, negatively impacting their self-esteem and self worth.  The school supplies give the kids a level playing field.  More importantly, we send these kids back to school with confidence, enthusiasm and self-esteem to build a much better year and future.

All supplies collected through this program are distributed by The Caring Tree through social service agencies that qualify the children in-need.  

The Caring Tree program is administered by The Caring Tree, a tax exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3)  and 509(a)(I) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.  Donors my deduct contributions to The Caring Tree as provided in Section 170 of the code.