Local BFPP Directory

Hi Pam,

Sorry for the delay, but I know you wanted some info about our project.  Let me know if you need any more information.

My high school daughter, Sophie, and I have been volunteering at our local food pantry, Aid in Milan, for a couple of years now and love it.  Since I am an elementary reading specialist and have access to loads of books and some potential donors, we thought it would be great to add a literacy component to the food pantry shopping experience.  Research shows us that students whose families struggle to make ends meet often lack access to books.  They rarely have their own at-home libraries and may have transportation issues that prevent them from visiting the public library.  The director of Aid in Milan though this was a wonderful idea.  We had lots of books to donate, but we needed something portable that could be easily made available during the clients’ monthly food shopping.  Sophie and I also volunteer at the local library and luckily, they had just received a donation of two old chart carts from the local hospital, St. Joseph Mercy.  They gave us one and my husband, Craig, who is an engineer, remodeled it so it now has three shelves – picture books, early/mid chapter books and young adult books.  It has worked out great!  Now every month when families shop, they can also take home a book for each of their children!  Before Christmas, when families came to pick out presents for their children, there was also a book table so they could pick plenty of books for holiday gifts too!  We have been fortunate to receive several generous donations from local families as well as a non-profit called Books for a Benefit and so far, have collected about 900 books.  We added some other fun items like bookmarks and finger flashlights to our cart too!  So far, our Book Fairy Pantry Project has been very well-received.  Families love it and have been so appreciative.  I had the chance to speak to some of them when we had an information table set up at a community event this past fall.

Thank you so much for your awesome idea!  We hope that it continues to grow and expand.  Sophie and I have really enjoyed getting our own Book Fairy Pantry Project off the ground and witnessing its immediate positive effects.  Our hope is that within six months to a year, all of our food pantry clients will have built at-home libraries for their children, giving them the lifelong gift of literacy.

I included photos too – one of the cart we use, a banner we use at community events, and one of Sophie and I with some of our book donations.

Thanks again,
Kerri Moccio

INDIANA

Stonehouse Food Pantry, Speedway, Indiana