$50k Match to #HopkinsStrong from Paige Bueckers, Hopkins Grad & WNBA Rookie of the Year

Hopkins Strong Relief Fund

The Hopkins Education Foundation has partnered with ICA Food Shelf to raise money to support Hopkins Public Schools students and families in need. The #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund is an ongoing drive to help feed Hopkins children and meet other urgent needs during this time of heightened stress and uncertainty in our community.

Visit the Hopkins Strong Relief Fund page to learn more.

Paige Offers to Help

Just a few days after the launch of the #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund, Hopkins graduate and basketball superstar Paige Bueckers offered to match up to $50,000 of donations to support food security for her hometown community. Bueckers thrilled local fans as a star for the Hopkins Royals Girls Basketball team and rose to greater acclaim with the UConn Huskies and as Rookie of the Year for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. Bueckers hopes this boost to the fund will help the ICA Food Shelf in its efforts to support the broader Hopkins Public Schools District 270 community.

That means, starting now, all donations will be matched by Bueckers, up to $50,000, a great way to double donations to the #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund. This will help HEF toward its goal of $250,000, so that Hopkins Public Schools District 270 families can be supported for a few months. “Community is how opportunity begins. When Hopkins families are supported with food and care, our young people can thrive. That’s why my foundation is committed to supporting the youth and families of Hopkins,” said Bueckers. 

Gallery: Paige Bueckers at the relaunch of Hopkins West Middle School’s Food Market, a partnership with ICA Food Shelf, that she has supported since 2023.

“Paige’s support means the world to us,” says HEF Executive Director Emily Wallace-Jackson. “The Hopkins community is so proud of Paige and her accomplishments on the court, but mostly we are proud of her as a person. Her generous donation will help families who are struggling to make ends meet, especially our immigrant families. And it's a morale boost for them to know that people care about them and want to help. We have pledged that 100% of contributions to the #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund will go to the ICA Food Shelf to immediately benefit children who are enrolled in Hopkins Public Schools District 270.”

“At this very moment, we have students and families who are afraid to leave their homes,” says Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, “We are grateful to the Hopkins Education Foundation not only for supporting innovation in our classrooms but also for supporting Hopkins families during radically uncertain times. The #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund benefiting the ICA Food Shelf will help ensure that families do not go hungry.”

Presenting ICA with the initial $50,000 donation from #HopkinsStrong. From left, HEF board member Kristin Hanneman, HEF Foundation Manager Jana Hoober, HEF Marketing Coordinator Ellie Siler, ICA Executive Director Dan Narr, HEF Executive Director Emily Wallace-Jackson, and ICA Board Member Laura Capaldini.

$50,000 Delivered to ICA So Far

At present, the #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund has already raised more than $50,000, which was presented to the ICA Food Shelf on Wednesday, January 21. With continued support from the community, along with Beuckers’ generous matching donation, HEF and ICA are hoping to support Hopkins Public Schools District students and families (in Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, Plymouth, and more) through emergency food bags and support for rent and utilities for the next few months.

Food security is foundational to academic learning. When stomachs are empty, brains don't process information like they should. There is an urgent and growing need for food and other essential resources among the most vulnerable families in Hopkins. Hopkins Education Foundation and ICA Food Shelf, with the support of Hopkins Public Schools, are responding to this call. ICA has been inundated with calls for help and support as it responds to the surge in needs for food and housing support, especially for Hopkins District neighbors who cannot safely leave their homes. “We are grateful for the support of the Hopkins Education Foundation, and all of the generous community members who are donating to the fund at this critical time,” said Matthew Dymoke, director of Development and Communications at ICA Food Shelf.

How to Help

“We are Hopkins Strong and we love our children. We want to be there for all of our students during this challenging time. It’s our mission to enhance education for Hopkins students, and that starts with making sure that our children are fed so they have energy to learn,” said Wallace-Jackson.

To donate to the #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund, click here, Venmo @HopkinsEducationFoundation, or send a check made out to “Hopkins Education Foundation,” to Jana Hoober, Hopkins Education Foundation, 1001 Highway 7, Suite 243, Hopkins, MN 55305