BLAINE, Minn. (July 30, 2010) – The NSC Minnesota Stars are pleased to partner with The Caring Tree for a school supply drive during their August 21 home game against the Portland Timbers. Fans are encouraged to donate supplies or money to help the thousands of Minnesota children living below the poverty level go back to school with the tools they need for a successful academic year.

“We believe that no child should ever have to experience the humiliation of going back to school unprepared,” said Karla Keller Torp, executive director of The Caring Tree. “Thanks to the combined efforts of NSC Minnesota Stars and the community, we have established the means to assist thousands of low-income school children. These donations have a direct impact on improving a student’s self esteem, motivation and learning skills.”

The Stars will place collection areas for supplies at the north and southwest entrances to NSC Stadium and will have jars for monetary donations at both north and south concessions. 

“One of our goals as an organization is to be involved in the community, and that commitment reaches far beyond the soccer field,” NSC Minnesota general manager Kris Bjerkness said.

Supplies needed include: backpacks, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, three-ring binders, pocket folders, pencil cases, erasers, pencil sharpeners, pens, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, highlighters, rulers, scissors, rulers, glue sticks and dictionaries.

About the Caring Tree:

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. Since 1993, the Caring Tree has helped more than 183,000 Minnesota students enjoy a better start to the school year. The organization is tax-exempt as described in Sections 501(c)3 and 509(a)1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

About the NSC Minnesota Stars:

NSC Minnesota plays in the 12-team United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Division-2 Professional League. The league consists of two six-team conferences – the USL Conference and the NASL Conference. The USL Conference will include teams from Austin (Tex.), Minnesota, Portland (Ore.), Puerto Rico, Rochester (N.Y.) and Tampa Bay. The NASL Conference will consist of teams from Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Montreal, St. Louis and Vancouver. NSC Minnesota plays its home games at the 8,500-seat NSC Stadium on the campus of the National Sports Center (NSC) in Blaine, Minn.