Paige Bueckers is as committed to doing good and giving back as she is to excellence on the basketball court.

The superstar from Hopkins was back home Thursday for the grand opening of a free grocery store in Hopkins West Junior High School – where she attended junior high.

According to organizers, the store – co-sponsored by Chegg and Goodr – “will offer high quality, nutritious groceries at no cost, helping the school’s hundreds of students and their families bridge the gap between paychecks with dignity.”

The store is located inside the school and will allow students to pick up groceries, and bring them home.

Click the video box on this page to watch KSTP Sports chat with Paige Bueckers and Hopkins West Jr. High principal Leanne Kampfe – as well as the ribbon-cutting ceremony and video as Bueckers helped open the new free grocery store at the school.

Bueckers previously partnered with Chegg for a pop-up market aimed at helping families battle food insecurity while ahead of her appearance in the Final Four in Minneapolis in 2022.

Bueckers is entering her senior season at the University of Connecticut. She missed her entire junior season due to a torn ACL. She helped lead UConn to the National Championship game last year as a sophomore, a season in which she also battled injury. As a freshman, she was the AP Player of the Year, Naismith Award winner, Wooden Award winner and USWBA Player of the Year.

After winning the ESPY Award for Best Female College Athlete in 2021, Bueckers used her acceptance speech to deliver a powerful message about racial and gender disparity.

At Hopkins, she was earned state and national players of the year awards, notably the national 2020 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year.

She departed Hopkins with her Royals defending state champions (the 2020 State Championship game against Farmington was cancelled due to the pandemic) and riding a 62-game win streak.