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Local book drive to help California libraries...

Kenmare High School student Lindsey Miller has friends in northern California who were directly affected by the wildfires that wiped out entire communities.

12/04/18 (Tue)

Book Drive... Kenmare Public School librarian Fay Froseth, left, and student council President Lindsey Miller, are spearheading a book drive together for those who lost their possessions in the northern California wildfires. Donations will be accepted until next Thursday Dec. 14.

By Marvin Baker

Kenmare High School student Lindsey Miller has friends in northern California who were directly affected by the wildfires that wiped out entire communities.

Luckily, their property was spared and they were able to have Thanksgiving in their own home. However, it was the only home on a block that was otherwise destroyed.

About the same time, librarian Fay Froseth was considering the idea of a book drive to help school and community libraries in two north-central California communities.

“The credit goes to Mrs. Froseth,” Miller, the student council president said. “She talked to me about doing something. It was her idea. I’m helping getting it rolling.”

According to Froseth, she will be working with three organizations in Butte and Colusa counties. They include the Colusa Farm Bureau, the Butte County Farm Bureau in Oroville and the North Valley Community Foundation in Chico.

Paradise, the hardest hit community, is also in Butte County.

“We’re angling this to libraries in the burned out areas so students can benefit,” Miller said. “We’re trying to get the word out.”

Froseth said the deadline to donate is Dec. 14. There are boxes in the high school and elementary libraries in which students, parents, staff or anyone in the community may donate.

Froseth intends to enlist other students to help package the books and they will be shipped a week later, hopefully arriving in time for Christmas.

She said the target is students from K-12, but some of the books will be going to community libraries, thus subject matter can be varied.

“We hope to get enough to send to each organization,” Froseth said. “It’s a huge area affected. Out of seven schools, five are no longer standing and two others received damage.”

News reports from Sacramento indicate approximately 50,000 people were displaced, a number that equals the city of Grand Forks.

Froseth suggested staff members should get involved with the drive.

“As teachers we all have our own libraries and we can become overwhelmed with books,” she said. “Some are hardly touched. Terese Schmidt (5th grade teacher) was wondering what to do with some of these books, then the fires happened.”

Froseth added this is the perfect opportunity for us as a school, a staff and an entire community to send books to the people of Butte and Colusa counties.

“This is open to the whole community,” Froseth said. “You don’t have to be parents of students. What a better way to show our character.”

Froseth is hoping as well that some of the books are distributed right into the hands of children, “because they’ve lost everything.”

She has talked to Vets Gaming to see if the charitable organization would be willing to offset the cost of postage. She asked for enough funds to cover 250 pounds and added that the cost for the book rate is $2.58 a pound.

“People can also donate to help us with postage,” Froseth said. “Or, if somebody would be willing to go or is in a delivery type business, the books could go with them.”

Froseth sent emails to the staff announcing the book drive and Miller made up posters and addressed the student council regarding the drive.

“Due to the devastating forest fires in California, Kenmare Public School will be having a book drive to help replenish local libraries and schools that have suffered,” the poster states. “Any new or gently used books are wanted.”

In addition to the book drive, Miller said the student council is working on a non-perishable food drive to replenish the Kenmare Food Pantry as well as the backpack program in the school.

There is a box next to the book drive box in the high school library in which to place food items.

“You can just drop those items off at the office, and I can come and get them,” Froseth said. “Or, you can let the office know and bring your donation right to the library.” ... Read EVERY WORD on EVERY PAGE of The Kenmare News by subscribing--online or in print!