Local Book Store to Offer Free Children’s Books Alongside Meal Pick-up

With Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s recent announcement that schools will be shuttered for the remainder of the academic year, many families are searching for ways to provide education to supplement on-line learning offered by schools. This is particularly challenging for low income families who rely on school lunches and classroom resources, and may not have access to additional materials at home.

As in many Connecticut communities, the Glastonbury Public Schools Food Service Department has provided free breakfasts and lunches for pick-up for Glastonbury public school students who depend each day on school meals.  This service is available to all households with children 18 years and younger, provided at least one child in the house attends a Glastonbury school. Families living in neighboring towns can benefit if their child typically commutes to Glastonbury for their schooling. In Glastonbury, 250 families utilize the meal pick-up program.

Owner Meghan Hayden of River Bend Bookshop in Glastonbury recognized the success and necessity of the food pickups provided by the Glastonbury Public Schools Food Service. She figured that most families using the food drive could also benefit from educational and entertaining books for their young children.

“That’s why we chose to marry those services. We pick books with a broad appeal such as nonfiction and be sure to include all grade levels. As families drive up for their meals, we will ask for their children’s grade levels and select books best suited for them,” Hayden notes.

This Friday, May 15, the first large scale distribution will take place at Glastonbury High School during one of the regularly scheduled 10:00 am-12:00 pm food pickups that occur three days each week.  Hayden will be joined by Glastonbury superintendent of schools Cheri Burke and two district librarians to distribute about 1,000 books as a “surprise” to families utilizing the local food service.

Hayden stresses that providing these services simultaneously poses “no additional contact” in this time of social distancing, because there isn’t an “extra trip” necessary to pick up books. Participants are asked to stay in their cars or six feet apart from others while awaiting, as they normally would, the routine distribution of meals.

Beyond helping to address the needs of Glastonbury students, Hayden is looking to do more. She is already looking ahead to providing families in other districts the same service. She hopes to bring joy and the love of reading to families in isolation during the pandemic.

“I am currently working on large scale distribution in other districts. I have another 1,000 books on order, and we’ll give those away before the end of the school year,” Hayden explains.

Hayden wasn’t always a small town book shop owner. She opened River Bend, located at 2217 Main Street in Glastonbury, just over a year ago, in November 2018.

“I had a 20 year cooperate career and then one day, I decided I was ready for a change,” says Hayden. During more typical times, River Bend has five booksellers on staff. During the pandemic, River Bend has remained in operation six days a week for curbside pickup only.

Individuals are invited to utilize this curbside pickup system. A River Bend bookseller will simply gather customer’s prepaid purchases in a bag and run them out to their cars for a safe and healthy socially distanced exchange.  Explains Hayden: “We make it a hands off experience, avoiding face-to-face interactions to limit the exposure and spread of COVID-19. I’m looking at a stack of books for curbside delivery in the shop right now!”

Although she does not expect to fully reopen until June, River Bend continues to operate through online shopping and easy shipping. Locally, in addition to successful partnerships with schools, other cooperative initiatives, local author talks as well as writing workshops and book clubs, River Bend at its core carries new, popular, and one-of-a-kind books in most genres and has an outstanding children's department. Their widespread reach is a mark of care for their community as well customers around the globe.

Their latest effort - added children’s books to much-needed food pick-ups – promises to provide considerable benefits for local youth. Eligible families are invited to register and complete a brief survey, which will ask the name of the school their child attends, as well as the number of children in the household. (Registration is available here.)

Since March, food distribution has taken place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 am-12:00 pm at the Glastonbury High School entrance at 330 Hubbard Street. Families can expect two breakfasts and two lunches per child prepared on Mondays and Wednesdays and one breakfast and one lunch per child prepared on Fridays. Starting Monday, May 18 and continuing through the end of the school year, the food distribution will be relocated to Gideon Welles School at 1029 Neipsic Road.

 To learn more about River Bend Bookshop, their book distributions, and regular services and workshops. call (860) 430-6608 or visit their website at https://www.riverbendbookshop.com/.

Researched, reported and written for CT by the Numbers by Hannah Stebbins.