First Book

Students saying 'thanks', 'hallelujah' and 'amen' to us for giving them books!


Last week, I went to a local KIPP School www.kipp.org, McDonogh 15, to photograph and write a newsletter article about a book distribution for First Book, a non-profit I have been volunteering with. First Book gives donations in the form of books to kids who are low income, high need (predominantly all children in public school in NOLA). Teachers apply for the grant for their classrooms and, for those selected, First Book provides a book to each student in that teacher's class six times in one year. The books are read at school and then go home with the kids. The books become their personal property - a big deal to kids who love to read, but have little access to books.

Three KIPP classes received and distributed books on Friday. Pre-K, K and 1st grade.KIPP focuses on the college graduation of the kids they teach, so everything each grade does has the theme of the year they will graduate. The kids even have class cheers, which they do every day to remind them of their future goal:
'We are the class of 2021 - We read, We laugh, We have lots of fun - We are the class of 2021!'

Other people's stuff

We've always been collectors of other people's stuff. We love giving a home to things that other people have deemed unnecessary. However, our ability to acquire other people's discarded items in NOLA has surpassed my comprehension. I'm pretty sure that this is the city that Hurricane Katrina devastated. So,why is our two-bedroom residence filled with furniture when we arrived 6 months ago with only a mattress, two end tables, some random lawn furniture, clothes, toiletries, and basic kitchen supplies? We have bought almost nothing - a couch and loveseat and a couple of lamps from a yard sale during our first few weeks. The rest we have accumulated during walks or bike rides or by word of mouth.

Imagine carting a chair home on your bike - or strapping your bike to the top of your jeep in order to make room for the dresser, lamps, and dishes that you found on your way to the bike shop - or carrying a milk crate full of art supplies the two miles it takes to get home because you're on a Sunday afternoon walk. In a city where organizations are begging for clothes, books, school supplies, furniture, baby toys - why are we finding exactly these items overflowing from trash cans and discarded on the side of the road?

At first, we were thrilled by our luck at finding such treasure. Now we are frustrated with the waste, frustrated with the fact that people think so little of the things that they own and think so little of their neighbors a few blocks away who could benefit from them, frustrated that our solution is to gather these things endlessly in an attempt to keep them from becoming trash.

This weekend, while walking in a neighborhood we don't often visit, we stood before a brand new baby bouncy seat and a matching baby play yard. We were probably there for 10 minutes -looking at the items - looking at each other. We were too far from home - they were too heavy - we don't have a baby or have an immediate neighbor with a kid that size - we had our reasons for walking away, but I can't stop thinking about them. Just sitting there, wasted - while some baby who could have enjoyed those things goes without.

More photos from the holidays

Christmas morning at St. Louis Cathedral




Fog on the Mississippi

Rockin' Robin - In the French Quarter