Kids & Family
East Granby Library Programs Send Livestock, Seeds, More to Overseas Farmers
East Granby students helped overseas families get necessary farming and food production supplies this summer.
As summer draws to a close, participants in the 's Read to Feed and Pass on the Gift programs can be proud of their work during the season.
Students from East Granby participating in the had their summer reading count towards providing livestock and other important, sustainable items to farming families in foreign countries through nonprofit group Heifer International. The final tally of donations made possible by the 260 readers was two sheep, five flocks of ducks or geese, a pig, tree seedlings and honeybees.
Most students read for more than two hours each week, a goal set by the East Granby public school. Kathy LeBlanc, the East Granby librarian who coordinated the program, said many students “well exceeded that goal.”
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Additionally, a small group of intrepid readers ran a lemonade stand in late July, raising more than $200 for the program and directly contributing the pig, tree seedlings and honeybees. Purchases by area residents accounted for most of the money raised.
“I feel grateful and proud. Be proud as a town that we had so much enthusiastic participation,” LeBlanc said.
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LeBlanc was thankful the students for their work, as well as for contributions from the community.
"[The kids] really understood what they were doing. It blows my mind how caring kids can be," she said.
LeBlanc was genuinely impressed with the attitude and work ethic of the students, noting that most summer reading programs encourage participation with prizes and trinkets. Those material rewards were deemphasized in the two summer programs, but it didn’t affect participation.
“There was absolutely no whining about not getting anything,” LeBlanc said.
The overall goal of the program was to teach the participants that they can make a difference and create positive change. Based on the results and the positive attitudes involved, the undertaking was a success.
LeBlanc plans to do more charity oriented summer reading programs, based on the successful results of this summer’s effort.
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