EAGAN, Minn. — "This is for meeee?"

A young girl happily ripped through wrapping paper to discover a brand-new backpack. Just a couple of feet away, a boy's eyes widened in excitement as he pulled a Spider-Man hoodie out of a gift bag and immediately pulled it on, despite the evening's muggy air.

Vikings teammates Donovan Jackson and Levi Drake Rodriguez smiled and laughed as they helped the two youngsters, along with several others, open back-to-school gifts that included clothing, accessories and sneakers. The children and their mothers also received bags of toiletries — including shampoo, conditioner, bandages and shea butter lotion — donated by Unilever.

"I'm having an absolute blast," Levi said. "I think kids bring a joy that's [indescribable]. Having fun with them, throwing the ball around, and especially with the gifts, that is cool.

"I remember getting notebooks and clothes and shoes my mom sacrificed for," he added. "And my mom picked out some of this stuff, too, so that was pretty neat just to see that come full-circle."

Levi's mother Dorothy joined 13 other Vikings moms, plus a grandmother and sister, on a shopping spree for 23 children whose single mothers are Raise the Barr grant recipients. Though former Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr no longer is an active player, the impact by him and his mother Lori through their foundation remains strong in Minnesota.

In addition to Jackson and Rodriguez, current Vikings whose mothers shopped for the Raise the Barr families included Justin Jefferson, Dallas Turner, Jordan Mason, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, Sr., and several others. Unilever employes also volunteered to join in the shopping efforts.

"This was a great opportunity for us to come together and do something really special for the community," said Tonya Turner, who joined Elaine Jefferson in shopping for twin boys. "Elaine shopped for one, I shopped for the other, and it was really, really cool to do that.

"It brought me back; I haven't shopped for kids' clothes in a really long time," Tonya laughed. "But our family is really big on doing things for the community. I feel like it's only right that we give back to them because they're going to come and cheer [for the Vikings]. So, we're cheering them on for back to school."

Jordan Addison's mother Keisha called it an easy decision to join the shopping event for a third time.

"We did good this year. It was boom, boom, boom, next store, Nike, out the door," Keisha said proudly of the group's efficiency. "It was really good — we had a great time."

And while Keisha was a returning shopper, Caleb Banks' mom, Mary, made her rookie debut in the Twin Cities community.

"It was lovely; the Vikings are a great organization, and the other moms have really welcomed me in," Mary said. "Giving back in this way was such a great experience. I was shopping for siblings, and we got them a lot of things. It was a really great thing to be a part of."

Though the Vikings moms were unable to attend the gifting portion in-person, ample love and care was put into careful selection of items for each child — and a few things for the parents, as well.

Melanie Jackson, who worked as a fifth-grade math teacher for 25 years, enjoyed shopping for a young girl and perusing "all the cute things."

"I'm like, socks with ruffles? Yes, please,' " she said with a smile. "It was super fun. I was excited to be asked to participate. It always makes me feel good when we do something for the community. I feel like I'm representing the Vikings, and that's awesome.

"It feels good to be able to do something and just take one thing off the list for those moms to do," Melanie added.

Dave Klocke, Unilever Head of Business Development, Target & Club Channels, noted the organization's appreciation to again partner with such a unique event.

"What makes this even more special is knowing we were able to give back to the community, leave a positive impact and create memories that will last well beyond the season," Klocke said. "Partnerships like this remind us that some of the biggest wins happen off the field."

Donovan enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the youngsters after having watched his mom do "a whole lot" of back-to-school shopping over the years, whether for him and his sister or for her own classroom. The chance to participate in this event for the second time was a no-brainer for her.

"My mom was excited about it. I heard she went a little overboard — that's to be expected of her, honestly," Donovan quipped. "Having this opportunity to not only give back, to give back with my mom, it's a very important thing to me. It's a cause we both support.

"Clothes and shoes aren't cheap. And as a kid, you don't really realize it then … but you start to realize, 'Wow, my mom sacrificed a lot for me and put my needs ahead of her own,' " he continued. "Having the opportunity to give kids well-deserved shoes, clothing, and anything they need to go back to school — so they can be 'swagged out' a little — and seeing the smile on the parents' faces, it makes it all worth it."

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