Prichard Kids Are Getting Free Clear Bookbags This Month Because a Local Krewe Decided the City Needed a Win

The Krewe of Tides Inc. and its community outreach arm, KOT CARES, are presenting a Level-Up Back to School Bash in Prichard on Saturday, July 25, giving students free clear bookbags and school supplies ahead of the new school year.

The event begins at noon at the A.J. Cooper Municipal Complex, timed to catch families in the final weeks before classes resume across Mobile County. Clear bookbags in particular have become standard or required equipment at many public schools in recent years as districts tighten security policies, making the giveaway a practical, if unglamorous, back-to-school necessity for families working with tight budgets.

Organizers Curtis Jordan, KOT CARES vice president, and David Wright-Morgan, president, have said the event will also connect families with additional community resources beyond the supply giveaway itself, alongside a guest speaker appearance planned for this year’s event.

About the venue

The A.J. Cooper Municipal Complex on East Prichard Avenue is named for Algernon J. “A.J.” Cooper Jr., who was elected mayor of Prichard in 1972 and was the city’s first Black mayor. Prichard does not operate its own school system; its students attend Mobile County Public Schools.