School is out, but the library at Kennedy Middle School will be open all summer long.
And the school is offering more than nourishment for the mind, Kennedy Middle also is providing snacks, food and toiletries for students and residents in the neighborhood and community.
The school recently erected a little free library on one side of the main entrance and a blessing box on the other.
“We are part of our community, and we want to make sure that we support our community in any way we can – feed the body, feed the mind” said Michelle King, the media specialist at Kennedy, who helped organize the projects.
The little free library will be stocked with books – everything from picture books to mysteries, biographies, humor and historical fiction – for all interests and ages, from preschool to adults.
“We have a lot of students and families within very close walking distance of our school in the surrounding neighborhoods,” King said. “We have a lot of readers in our school and in our neighboring schools, Millbrook Elementary and South Aiken High. I wanted to give them the opportunity to have something new to read over the summer. There's a huge variety of books.”
Teresa Mitchem, left, Kennedy Middle principal, and Michelle King, the school's media specialist, get the new little free library ready for the public. The school also erected a blessing box with nonperishable food and toiletries for students, their families and the community.
For students who might not get a good breakfast or lunch when school is out and for their families and neighborhood residents who might be hungry, the blessing box meets an immediate need for food, King said.
The blessing box will provide nonperishable items, including canned soups and stews; canned meats, such as tuna; and cereal and granola bars, King said. Toiletries such as toothpaste, soap and laundry and dish detergent also will be available.
“The blessing box is a way for people to fill the gap until they can seek help someplace else if they need it,” King said. “This is a simple way to support our community.”
Kennedy Middle Principal Teresa Mitchem said the little free library and the blessing box serve the community.
“We have some kids whose parents are working, and they might not be able to get to the library,” she said. “So what a great opportunity for them to be able to walk to their school or nearby school and grab a book, and if they need a snack or something to sustain them, they can grab something out of the blessing box.”
Mitchem called the project a “great way” to involve the community, too.
“It's a great way to get the community wrapped around our school and the other schools and to help us continue to let kids know that reading is important.
King's father, Ted Gantt, and William Ray, the owner of Rugged Edge Woodworks, helped frame and build the boxes. King's family finished them.
Kennedy Middle faculty and staff initially stocked the blessing box. King said she hopes the school's clubs, organizations and teams would keep it filled next school year.
