EAGAN, Minn. — The NFL regular season is in full swing, which means Vikings players are back in action on Community Tuesdays, giving back to families and youth who support the team each week.

To kick off Week 1, the Vikings partnered with Caribou Coffee to recognize and surprise teachers shopping at the Kids in Need Foundation Teacher Resource Center. They also hosted youth football and cheer all-abilities clinics for children facing unique health challenges.

Vikings & Caribou Coffee Team Up to Celebrate Teachers | by Lindsey Young

Mari Price topped last year's Christmas list with a Myles Price jersey, being that the Vikings receiver shares a last name — plus a first initial — with the lifelong Vikings fan.

So when Mari arrived at Kids in Need to shop for her classroom and spotted Myles in his Purple No. 4, she shrieked in excitement.

"I have your jersey!" Mari excitedly told Myles, swiping through her phone's gallery before spotting the photo and pulling it up to show him.

"I tell people you're my cousin," she added, prompting Myles to cackle in laughter along with her.

A fifth-grade teacher at Brooklyn Center Elementary, Mari is entering her 30^th year of working in education. Her passion for young people shines through, matching Myles' energy and positive attitude.

Mari emphasized the impact of being able to select school supplies for young people in her classes whose families may not otherwise be able to afford them.

"For the Vikings and Caribou and Kids in Need to put this on, we can help other kids who are in need, and they can go through the school day without having to worry is amazing," Mari said. "The kids are so excited when I hand them something and they're like, 'This is for me?' You should see the smile on their faces — they treat these things like gold."

The significance isn't lost on Myles, who noted several of his family members are teachers.

"This means everything," he told reporters. "I know people growing up who couldn't get school supplies and would have to ask for things. This is just the right thing to do. It's giving back and making sure [everybody is] on the same scale.

"Meeting Mari, at first I didn't believe her," Myles added with a laugh. "I don't meet too many other 'Prices,' so that was cool. I told her, we could be kin."

Mari and other teachers shopped for notebooks, backpacks, glue, pens, markers, world and U.S. maps, and several other items.

Rashelle Oxborough, Kids in Need Director of Public Relations & Communications, expressed gratitude for Year 3 of the Vikings partnership.

"For the Vikings to bring attention and awareness for how we can support our teachers means everything," Oxborough said. "It really can't be understated how much joy and excitement the players bring into our Teacher Resource Center. [There is] joy in teaching, which is why our teachers continue to do a really hard job … and with a partner like the Vikings, they can meet that joy and energy the teachers have for their work."

Vikings Legends John Swain, Autry Beamon, Stu Voigt and Ben Williams also attended Tuesday's event and helped teachers fill their shopping carts with school supplies. The event hit home for Swain, who spent 13 years working at Patrick Henry High School in his post-playing career.

"It was really neat just talking with the teachers. Learning the schools they're at, the grades they're teaching," Swain said. "It's great to support what they're doing here. I know a lot of teachers actually spend their own money for their students, so it's neat they don't have to spend extra now."

Teachers were treated to Caribou Coffee beverages, Vikings-themed coffee mugs and Caribou gift cards, and they spun a prize wheel to win Vikings items that included Rivalries mini helmets, baseball caps, water bottles and more. Ten of the educators also received an extra surprise: tickets to Sunday's Border Battle against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"I can't believe it!" Mari exclaimed, hugging Voigt after he gifted her a pair of tickets. "This is just so amazing."

Similar sentiments were expressed by South St. Paul High School special education teacher Tatiana Walker, who also spent time shopping with Myles.

"I almost didn't come today, and I'm so glad I did," Walker said, "but to see the generosity and everybody supporting, it's amazing. I'm just so thankful for this place and this resource for my students.

"Their favorite thing to do is go through my bags when I get back to the school," she added with a smile. "They ask, 'What did you get for me?' They go through the supplies and help put them away in the classroom. They really take ownership of all the new things and have such gratitude. It's wonderful."

Vikings Host All-Abilities Clinics | by Rob Kleifield

A quick scan of the field revealed one-handed catches, juke moves and big hits.

For 90 minutes last Tuesday at TCO Stadium, a large group of boys and girls rotated through five stations focused on specific football drills, with a cohort of Vikings players overseeing them.

The energy on the field — the hustle, the occasional smack talk and ear-to-ear grins — was electric for the young people who were participating despite extraordinary hardships.

Joining from Shriners Children's, Gillette Children's, Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute and other community organizations, the attending youth were in wheelchairs or wearing prosthetics or challenged by disabilities. They were assisted through drills by physical therapists, plus Max Bredeson, Bo Richter, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tavierre Thomas, Caleb Tiernan and Elijah Williams.

In addition to the all-inclusive football camp, there was a youth cheer clinic. Really, there was everything a child could want, including arts and crafts, snacks, and hugs from Viktor the Viking.

Just a few days before his NFL debut, Bredeson said it's so neat to "be able to interact and be around people from the area" and the state of Minnesota, so soon after settling here.

"It's just a credit to everything that goes on here" from a community standpoint, Bredeson shared. "I'm just happy I'm able to be out here and give out as many high-fives as I can to all the campers."

In one drill, Tiernan, a rookie o-lineman, held a blocking shield and took on the brunt of kids pummeling past him. In another, Thomas, a veteran safety, defended participants running through agility ladders and then putting their best moves on him in the open field. On a few reps, Thomas was awed by the group, as impressive cuts and spin moves turned him in his shoes.

At the conclusion of the event, the players introduced themselves and answered questions. The first was a great one: "What is your record going to be this year?"

Rodriguez took it in stride and said, "I think we're going into this year trying to get as many dubs as we can!"

Right after, a different boy innocently posed the exact same question, and parents, kids and players let out sweet laughs.

Although it was an overcast and steamy evening, there was an undeniable brightness to the event.

"Just the smiles, the amount of fun," Bredeson noted his favorite part. "It's cool seeing the kids just loving football and thinking back to the camps [I] went to as a kid. It's kind of a full-circle moment."

View the Vikings 2026 Schedule.

See future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.

See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.