Last night was another successful Feed n Read! And I think this photo really captures the spirit of the evening.
If you can’t tell from the photo, the young woman on the left has 8 books in her hand (because Mrs. Yusko said, “Happy Easter! Take as many books as you want!”). She moved to our community at the start of the school year and couldn’t read at all. One of her teachers told me last night that she has made HUGE strides this year! When I took a moment to chat with her about her book choices, she was clearly proud that she was a reader. “I read all the time! I need more books so that I can keep reading. Also, do you mind if I take this Cars book to read to my little brother? He’s only 3 but he would like it and we can read together.” <heart melting>
And that pretty much sums up the power of #bookaccessforall.
Feed n Read has an impact on all of us: the kids and families that attend, the volunteers, the educators, the community.
I love to see the teen volunteers having just as much fun as the kids they’re reading with. I’m honestly not sure who gets the most out of the experience. They eat together, play together, talk story, and read together. They give hugs and piggy back rides. They help them choose books.
I love that we are starting to have families that attend together. Parents that pick out books for their kids while the littles are listening to stories. Parents that ask if they can take a book for themselves.
It takes a village and we definitely could not do this each month without our village:
Our volunteers: teachers, principals, community members, teens, families, and more!
Our generous meal sponsor: Daylight Mind and Kiawe Smokehouse!
The staff at Ulu Wini for making this program a priority and always being there to support our efforts!
Want to know more? Start a program of your own? Donate to our book fund? Contact me! In the meantime, enjoy some more pics of our Feed n Read FUN!
