“I’ll always remember my foster son was so amazed that someone was giving him something; his whole face lit up when he got the backpack, and he just kept thanking us and thanking us. He had been removed from his home for severe neglect; at age five, he had been found wandering on the side of a highway alone, looking for food. I don’t think he had ever been given anything new in his life that he could remember. He cherished that backpack and used it every day in school.”

“It seems simple. But for our kids, it’s not. It’s more than a backpack. It’s a statement of support. It’s someone saying ‘I matter.’ And that is invaluable.”