Backpack pickup

A backpack pickup was held at the Wrangell Cooperative Association's cultural center last Thursday morning. WCA Tribal Administrator Esther Ashton said that the backpacks, which were filled with school supplies, were a part of a program organized by the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Ashton said they had about 120 backpacks this year. "It's a really great program," she said. "The kids come in, they're so excited. The backpacks are wonderful. You have everything from Northface to Nike and they're really high quality backpacks. It's a great program that we're happy to participate in."