This blog post was written by Gabby Angeles, Book Harvest's former Community Engagement Coordinator. She wrote it the week she said farewell to pursue a career as a musician. Many of you know Gabby as the first one to greet you when you entered our Family Space - she will be missed!
When I was little, my mom and I would go to the public library all the time and I would make a beeline for my favorite book: "Jalapeño Bagels" by Natasha Wing. We would check it out, read it together, then return it. And then, we repeated the process. I would have the book with me as often as I could.
Libraries are amazing and I'm grateful I have those memories of going to the library with my mom. But what if there had been a way for me to hold onto "Jalapeño Bagels" forever, as I had always wanted? At Book Harvest we offer children just that: the opportunity to select books that resonate with them (for free) and to keep them forever.
Through Book Harvest's numerous book hubs and programs, kids can harvest books in laundromats, doctor's offices, the Book Harvest Family Space, and more.
When I worked at the front desk of the Family Space, kids would come up to my desk at the end of their visit waiting for me to 'scan' their books and tell them a due date. It was always a joy to see their faces when I told them they didn't have to return them! "These are your books, now," I would say.
You can invest in Book Harvest and these kids by donating your own new or gently used children's books or through a monetary donation -- all of which goes toward providing kids with access to culturally inclusive, high-interest books to take home and keep forever.