The West Berwick Elementary School Library received a First Federal Charitable Foundation grant it plans to use to purchase five bookshelves and provide space to expand the number of books the library can provide to the students.
Less than a decade after its construction, the library is already nearing maximum shelving capacity but still has a need to add an additional 982 books to meet its goal of offering at least 20 books per student, which is the benchmark for elementary schools. While the Berwick School District provides the library with a yearly book budget to purchase more books, money is not available in the budget to purchase the necessary shelving to store the books.
The library plans to use the funding to install four 48-inch double-faced three-shelf units to expand the fiction and nonfiction sections plus a single stand-alone 48-inch three-shelf unit to accommodate the growing English as a Second Language (ESL) book section.
By reorganizing and extending sections of the library, the extra shelving will allow for collection growth and maximize the space to allow the library to reach its goal of 20 books per student. Additionally, the library staff feels that by adding more current books that the students like to its collection, it will increase the number of books that the students are reading.
West Berwick Elementary serves 496 students in grades K-4, including 275 who are considered economically disadvantaged. The library's goal is to provide quality literature to read to all students regardless of ability level and to be able to offer more books to those economically disadvantaged students who are less likely to have books of their own at home and books at the correct reading level. West Berwick Elementary also has 20 ESL students, the highest number of ESL students in its district, warranting the increase in need for ESL books.
The First Federal Charitable Foundation was established to support worthwhile community causes. It strives to nurture nonprofit institutions and programs that will effectively serve those in need from the community, empower nonprofit institutions and programs that will expand their presence in and services to the area, and promote opportunities for new nonprofit institutions and programs that will serve the unserved.
Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation located in Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon and Columbia counties are eligible to apply. Any organization whose headquarters is in another county but services either Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon or Columbia counties may apply for a grant to be used in one of those counties.
For more information on the foundation or to obtain a grant application, email