Councilmember Julie Won during a previous backpack giveaway event held August 20th (Photo: Office of Councilmember Julie Won)
Aug. 26, 2022 By Czarinna Andres
Councilmember Julie Won is handing out school backpacks for kids Saturday as they get ready for their first day of class Sept. 8.
The council member is holding events throughout the 26th Council District in coming weeks with two scheduled for Aug. 27. Free backpacks and school supplies will be handed out at Ravenswood Houses, located at 35-35 21st St., from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. tomorrow and at Queensbridge Houses, located at 10-25 41st Ave., from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Won plans to have additional backpack and school supply giveaways in early next month in Woodside, Sunnyside, and Astoria. The details of those events are still to come.
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The councilmember, who ran for office last year on a platform of bridging the digital divide, will also be promoting free Wi-Fi at Ravenswood Saturday.
She plans to help residents sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federal program where eligible households get free Wi-Fi service or $30/month credited toward their bill.
Won hosted events helping people signup for the free Wi-Fi program at Queensbridge Houses and Woodside Houses earlier this summer.
Many people are eligible for the program–not just NYCHA residents. New Yorkers who earn below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or are enrolled in Medicaid, SNAP, National School Lunch, and veterans’ pensions are also eligible.
The APC was funded through the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, which included $65-billion earmarked specifically for broadband infrastructure.
