Uncasville, CT (August 20, 2025) – As August simmers down, parents across the country mark their calendars with the two most important dates of the end of summer: the first day of school and back to school shopping. For the third year in a row, the Connecticut Sun extended a helping hand to Connecticut families by hosting a back-to-school shopping trip for St. Vincent de Paul Place, a community meal site and food pantry that strives to meet the needs of homeless people and families with limited income in the greater Norwich area.

Before the shopping took place, the Connecticut Sun front office staff gathered to pack over 80 backpacks for the students attending the shopping. To the tunes of Beyonce and the Black Eyed Peas, staff members filled the gray Sun logo embossed packs with notebooks, pencils, pens, glue sticks, calculators, binders, pencil sharpeners, white out, and folders.

The morning of Wednesday, August 20, the Sun community staff arrived at the Kohl’s in Groton to set up and prepare for the families to come ready to shop. The first wave of families arrived at 9:30am and checked in at the Connecticut Sun Foundation table to receive their tax-free coupon and $250 gift card for each student in the family. Kohl’s was soon filled with the sound of carts rolling around, the pitter patter of youth-sized feet, and excited chatter as guardians helped their kids try on shoes and clothing. After filling their carts with first-day-of-school outfits, families and students made their way to the checkout counter and happily exited the store with their Kohl’s bags and Connecticut Sun backpacks, ready to take on the school year.

“This marks the third year the Connecticut Sun has worked with St. Vincent de Paul Place to support local families with free shoes, clothing, and school supplies, and it is an event we look forward to every year,” said Connecticut Sun General Manager, Morgan Tuck. “Back-to-school shopping can be overwhelming for some, and this event helps relieve some of the pressure on parents while giving students a fresh start to the school year. We are so glad to be able to use our platform and resources to be able to give these children the added boost that having the right supplies and feeling confident in new clothes can give.”

As the event wrapped up, families expressed their gratitude while sharing photos and stories of themselves attending Sun games and meeting former Sun players. Photos were also requested and taken with Morgan Tuck as good luck wishes were shared for the students’ 2025-2026 academic journey.

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