Applications due for back-to-school backpacks

The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes is once again distributing back-to-school backpacks across multiple Southeast Alaskan communities this year. Applications for the backpacks are due this Friday, July 17. The backpack distribution is a common occurrence in Wrangell, and in other Southeast communities. However, students can also expect to find new laptops in their bags this year, instead of school supplies.

Julie Chapman, program coordinator with the Central Council, said they are aiming to get the backpacks out to the communities before the start of the school year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many students taking classes via distance learning, she said that they felt Chromebooks would be more useful for students.

Applications are open to Alaska Native or American Indian families, Chapman said, and the student must be enrolled for the upcoming school year. Backpacks are available for any student from Head Start age to twelfth grade, she said. For Wrangell, applications can be made directly on the central council website, or through the Wrangell Cooperative Association. The WCA will help with the distribution of the backpacks when they are shipped out.

"Since we are a tribe, we are providing this service to tribal citizens," Chapman said.

More information, according to the Wrangell Cooperative Association's Facebook page, can be found by calling (907) 470-1011, or emailing receptionist@wrgtribe.org. Paper applications can be dropped off at the WCA on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The central council can be reached at (907) 463-7158.