Hollister
– Hoping to start a positive new chapter in the lives of local
children, state Senator Jeff Denham, R-Merced, started his
first-ever
”
Book Drive For Kids
”
this week.
Hollister – Hoping to start a positive new chapter in the lives of local children, state Senator Jeff Denham, R-Merced, started his first-ever “Book Drive For Kids” this week.
The book drive will collect books at several Hollister locations and will benefit the Chamberlain’s Children Center in Hollister, a nonprofit residential home for abused children.
Denham’s spokeswoman, Stacey Hendrickson, said the senator got the idea for a book drive after some recent spring cleaning revealed that he had several books his children used to read.
“The senator has kids, too,” Hendrickson said. “We originally started this as a book drive, but other items are also welcome.”
Hendrickson said Denham encouraged residents throughout San Benito County to rid their dust-laden bookshelves of old children’s books, but also welcomed donations of board games, video games and other kids stuff.
“Anything we can get is more than they have,” she said. “We don’t have any specific goal in mind, but everything helps.”
Outside of San Benito County, Denham has selected a half-dozen other charities he hopes to help with book drives.
“There are numerous nonprofit agencies that care for women and their children in times of great stress and emotional need,” Denham said in a written statement. “Sometimes they need some form of entertainment either to comfort their hurts or to provide a stable environment in their new surroundings.”
Although this is the senator’s first book drive, Hendrickson said he hopes to make it an annual event.
“We are hoping for a large community response so that we can continue this for years to come,” she said.
Doreen Crumrine, Chamberlain’s acting chief executive officer, said books and board games are needed at the residential facility, which is home to 24 children.
While games might seem like trivial toys to some, Crumrine said they are actually “wonderful learning tools.”
“Board games are very important for treatment here,” she said. “They help kids work together, learn to win and lose gracefully and develop social skills.”
And books are always in short supply. Younger children in the home have story time several times a day, Crumrine said. Building Chamberlain’s library would help many of the children, she added.
“I can’t say enough about books,” she said. “From picture books to adult books, it all helps.”
The book drive will run through August 4.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
.
