Backpack Drive - Count Day Instructions
Maricopa County School Superintendent’s 12th Annual
Count & Load Day
The final step of the 2026 Backpack Drive. Join us at our Central Avenue office to count, box, and load every donation for Phoenix Elementary School District #1.
Location & Parking
Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent
4041 N. Central Ave., Suite 1100
Phoenix, AZ 85012
We’re on the 11th floor — check in at the front desk on the 11th floor when you arrive.
Park in the adjacent parking garage in the visitors section.
Bring your parking ticket upstairs with you — our office will validate it before you leave. Don’t leave it in your car.
We start at 9:00 AM sharp. Arriving a few minutes early gives you time to park, get validated, and find the room.
Plan for roughly three to four hours, depending on how quickly the count goes.
What to Wear & Expect
15 bags
Approximately 15 large boxes and 15 large bags of donations will be counted and loaded onto transportation provided by Phoenix Elementary School District #1.
- Comfortable, casual clothing you don’t mind getting dusty
- Closed-toe shoes — we’ll be moving boxes across the floor and onto carts
- Bring a sweater if you run cold — the office is sufficiently air-conditioned
Please bring water and a snack to get you through the morning. There’s also a cafe on the ground floor of the building, open at 7:00 AM, if you’d like to grab something before heading upstairs.
How the Count Works
Everything collected over the weekend has already been sorted by category and the boxes are already labeled. Wednesday is about counting the totals and getting everything downstairs and onto the district’s vehicles.
What We’re Counting
These are the categories on the tally sheets, and the donations are already grouped this way. Anything that doesn’t fit one of the named categories goes under miscellaneous — if you’re unsure where an item belongs, ask a lead rather than guessing.
Before You Head Out
Validate your parking & sign out
Get your parking ticket validated in Suite 1100 before you leave — we can’t do it after the fact, and the garage will charge you on the way out.
Please also sign out on the volunteer sheet so we can log your hours. If you need a service-hours or volunteer verification letter, let us know and we’ll get one to you.
Questions? Reach Out Anytime
Thank you for closing out the 2026 Backpack Drive with us. Every item counted on Wednesday goes straight to a Phoenix Elementary #1 student. If anything comes up, call or text Annabella Gomez, our Communications Officer, directly.