Students at Eden Park Elementary in Baton Rouge had a welcome surprise when New Orleans Saints Punter Thomas Morstead and First Lady Donna Edwards showed up to deliver 500 backpacks filled with school supplies following the historic flood.

“I’m sure a lot of these kids’ families the last thing they’re thinking about is school supplies for their kid when they’re house is flooded or they’ve got to get new furniture or all the different major things that go along with the flooding,” Morstead said.

The delivery came on the students’ first day back in the classroom since the flood. In every classroom, Morstead was greeted by cheering students, one of them even sporting a #6 jersey. Morstead says it’s a small thing to do for each child, but he hopes it motivates the students to have a good school year.

“It’s not a huge thing, but the kids all really appreciated it. You just want them to feel empowered to have a great year,” Morstead said.

Morstead says 50 volunteers rode on the bus from New Orleans to Baton Rouge to hand out the supplies. A total of 6,000 backpacks will be distributed to students throughout East Baton Rouge parish. The veteran NFL player says he’s glad to help the students, but he was most moved by seeing the number of volunteers who turned out to help deliver the backpacks.

“It’s just really humbling to see all these people give their time and feel as passionately about what we’re doing as I do,” Morstead said.

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