Elementary School Children Given Backpacks Filled With Supplies Before Christmas

A group of schoolchildren gathered for a special school assembly were left stunned when a special surprise was revealed.

Under a massive sheet were backpacks for each of them at the John Barry Elementary School in Philadelphia. 

The backpacks were filled with supplies that they'll need for the rest of the school year, like notebooks, scissors, crayons and Post-its. 

The holiday surprise comes courtesy of the Kids in Need Foundation, which is donating backpacks to more than 300,000 students nationwide this holiday season. 

“There is nothing better than giving a backpack to a student," Dave Smith, the executive director of the Kids In Need Foundation, told Inside Edition. "Studies tell us when students have the supplies, their behavior, their attendance, their ability to learn, even their self-esteem improves."

“So many children as young as kindergarten are coming through saying, ‘Thank you so much,'" school superintendent Dr. William Hite told Inside Edition. "This is exciting. This is an early Christmas that does your heart well.”

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