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Looking to support needy students, the County Office of Education gave away 100 blankets, along with books and cookies, to local children at its Fifth Street headquarters on Jan. 23.
Superintendent of Schools Krystal Lomanto said this is their first event of its kind to give out free books and, because of the cold season, blankets.
“We are always excited to be able to support our families,” Lomanto said, “and making sure that we’re promoting literacy because it’s so important to the foundation of our students across the county.”
Assistant Superintendent of Students Gwen Baquiran said this is one of the activities of Project Access for the Office of Education, an initiative that supports homeless students by providing access to afterschool academic programs and support.
“This is one of the activities that we do through this project,” Baquiran said, “and one of the literacy efforts of the San Benito County Office of Education, so it helps our students continue reading.”
Hollister resident Jack Sarringhaus said he was walking to the library when he saw the event next door.
“It looked exciting, and I’m a big fan of books,” Sarringhaus said. “I saw that they were giving books away. I’m a big reader.”
He is reading “The Thief” by Markus Zusak, and it’s his favorite, but he also enjoys some of the more lighthearted books, such as Harry Potter.
“I like ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry,” he said. “I read that one in middle school, and that was one of my favorite books as well. I got ‘The Secret Battle of Evan Panno,’ but have not had a chance to read the book, but it looks really interesting.”
Student Ben Forrest said he was picked up from school and then went to the library where he saw something that looked interesting. He also got a copy of “Evan Panno.”
“I wanted to see what it was about and I heard [library mascot] Pete the Cat was here,” Forrest said. “My favorite is seeing Pete the Cat and getting the blanket and book.”
Forrest said he thinks the community benefits by giving books to people in need who enjoy reading but can’t afford them.
“We have all schools, so we are giving 100 books and blankets,” Baquiran said, “So it’s open to all ages, students who are interested in San Benito County.”
The library is also sponsoring a literacy summit on Jan. 29 at 4:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building. The theme will be “Literacy in the 21st Century: Words, Numbers and Technology.”
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