Paper Donations from Minnesota Printers Fuel Classrooms Across the State
Printing Industry Midwest’s (PIM) 47th Annual Paper Drive
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — October 2, 2025 – On Saturday, September 27, 2025, Printing Industry Midwest (PIM), the not-for-profit trade association representing the Midwest’s leading print service providers, proudly hosted its 47th Annual Paper Drive in partnership with Lindenmeyr Munroe at their facility in Fridley, MN. This long-standing event is dedicated to supporting educators by providing free paper for classrooms, an invaluable event, as school budgets continue to shrink.
For nearly five decades, this initiative has helped alleviate the financial burden teachers face in supplying their classrooms with basic materials. Educators attending the event report operating on supply budgets as low as $0.90 per student and many stated their budget is completely gone.
“We hear it every year: teachers want to give their students the best, but they are forced to do so with little to no resources,” said Kristin Pilling-Davis, Executive Director of PIM. “This event is our way of giving back to the dedicated teachers who give everything to our children.”
This year PIM welcomed over 300 educators from across the state, with some traveling more than four hours to attend. Teachers began lining up as early as 6:30 AM—over two hours before doors open—hoping to be among the first to access the wide array of paper.
“This event is like Black Friday for teachers,” said one returning attendee. “The paper we collected last year provide paper for our school until March. It has been a lifeline.”
In the same enthusiastic spirit as Black Friday, teachers arrived with spouses, friends, and family members to help transport their finds—using carts, wagons, dollies, laundry baskets, strollers, and even trailers to haul paper. Two mothers even attended on behalf of their teacher daughters to collect supplies for their classrooms. Within the first hour, the majority of the paper had already been claimed.
This year’s Paper Drive featured the largest volume of donated paper to date, including everything from white copy paper and colored stock to foam core boards, envelopes, butt rolls, specialty substrates, and more. The generous contributions from PIM members provided significant savings for teachers and schools, helping offset hundreds of dollars in supply costs.
“We are incredibly grateful to all our members who contributed this year,” said Pilling-Davis. “It brought tears to many teachers’ eyes to see such generosity. These donations do not just support classrooms; they help sustain entire school programs.”
The success of the event would not have been possible without the continued partnership and generous support of Lindenmeyr Munroe, who hosted and staffed the event for the fourth consecutive year. Their team consistently goes above and beyond to ensure a smooth and welcoming experience for teachers. They work late into the evening the night before and arrive early on Saturday to manage setup, help during the event, and stay late to cleanup.
All donated paper was contributed by PIM members who generously reviewed their inventories for obsolete, overstocked, or leftover supplies. Special thanks to the following companies for their support: Anchor Paper Company, Art Educators of Minnesota, The Bernard Group, Inc., Bolger, Data Recognition Corporation, Diamond Graphics, Graphic Design, Inc, Ingenuity Marketing Group, Japs-Olson Company, Lindenmeyr Munroe, MackayMitchell Envelope Company, Nahan, Pioneer Paper Stock Company, RR Donnelley, Thomson Reuters and Wallace Carlson Printing! Thank you to each of these organizations for your generous contributions and ongoing commitment to supporting educators and students throughout Minnesota.
PIM is proud to continue this meaningful tradition in 2026 and beyond. Educators are encouraged to monitor www.pimw.org/paper-drive/ for updates on next year’s event. Printers and industry partners are also urged to begin setting aside surplus materials now in preparation for next year’s drive.
ABOUT PIM
Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) is a not-for-profit trade association representing the Midwest’s leading print service organizations in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Our mission is to be the leading resource to enhance the insights, strength and profitability of the printing, graphic communications and related industries through advocacy, education, safety, and environmental information. More information about membership can be found at www.pimw.org/benefits/.
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