Tempe students get new backpacks on 1st day of school

Hundreds of backpacks wait at Curry Elementary for their surprised, new owners on their first day of school.

"I felt really happy but also very excited at the same time," Yellowbird Maldonado said.

Every backpack came with notebooks, pencils and a glue stick.

"I really like them because they come with supplies," Brian Padilla said.

The backpacks were all from Life Lock identity theft workers who Principal Kenneth White cannot be more grateful for.

"The Life Lock employees took time out of their day to come down and stuff over 600 backpacks with materials that will help alleviate some of the stress for my families," he said.

It's a way to give every child the things they need to learn and grow. In a school where 81 percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch, it's a gift that's making an impact outside of the classroom.

"This is way bigger than just a backpack," Principal White said. "It's one less thing that my families needed to be concerned about purchasing and getting their children to school with."

Each backpack also comes with an encouraging note from a Life Lock employee. It's a way to let all the students know that even strangers are rooting for their success.