Here's how a $4,500 grant will help provide Cumberland County kids with books, backpacks

Ariana-Jasmine Castrellon, The Fayetteville Observer
·2 min read
Find-A-Friend Youth Enrichment Center on Whitfield Street.
Find-A-Friend Youth Enrichment Center on Whitfield Street.

Funding from a grant will help children in Cumberland County understand the importance of reading, the head of a ministry organization said.

The Cumberland County Public Library received a $4,500 grant from the Cumberland Community Foundation in order to provide children with free books and backpacks.

The Summertime Kids Grant, founded 30 years ago, will be used to provide books and backpacks to children attending local summer camps and workshops. On average, the grant assists 1,000 children each year, according to a Cumberland County news release.

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Through August each child will receive two age-appropriate books and one backpack at the following locations:

  • Boys and Girls Club: 3475 Cumberland Road, Fayetteville

  • Cape Fear Botanical Garden: 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville

  • Cape Fear Regional Theatre: 1209 Hay St., Fayetteville

  • Communities United for Youth Development: 2802 Blossom Road, Hope Mills

  • Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation: 121 Lamon St., Fayetteville

  • Fayetteville State University Astro Camp: 1200 Murchison Road, Fayetteville

  • Fayetteville Urban Ministry, Inc.: 701 Whitfield St., Fayetteville

  • The First Tee of the Sandhills: 15 Dawn Road No. 1, Pinehurst

  • Greater Life of Fayetteville: 600 Orange St., Fayetteville

  • Moore Street Foundation: 302 Moore St., Fayetteville

  • Salvation Army: 433 Robeson St., Fayetteville

  • St. Ann Neighborhood Youth Center: 357 N Cool Spring St., Fayetteville

Johnny Wilson
Johnny Wilson

Johnny Wilson, executive director of Fayetteville Urban Ministry, said during his organization's summer workshop, the children enrolled in the program are taken to the library. Wilson said he believes libraries are a special place for children and hopes they never cease to exist.

“There’s nothing like going to the traditional library,” he said. “You can actually look at books and put your fingers across pages and understand what reading is.”

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In partnership with the Cumberland County Public Library, organizations such as the Fayetteville Urban Ministry are able to ensure children within the community do not go without, Wilson said.

“Our goal is to send our kids back to school with brand new backpacks, brand new school supplies (and) their library checkout cards,” he said.

For more information on the Summertime Kids Grant, visit the Cumberland Community Foundation online.

For more information on free programs provided by the Cumberland County Public Library, visit www.cumberlandcountync.gov/library, follow them on Facebook or call 910-483-7727.

Health and education writer Ariana-Jasmine Castrellon can be reached at acastrellon@gannett.com or 910-486-3561.

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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County Public Library $4,500 grant free books and backpacks