EMDC delivers free books to county children
BANGOR — Children in Aroostook County are getting to know characters and stories from award-winning children’s books thanks to a grant recently awarded to Eastern Maine Development Corp. (EMDC) and the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP).
The $500 grant from the Aroostook Training and Education Center (ATEC) allowed EMDC staff members to purchase nearly 200 books at discounted prices from online seller The FirstBook Marketplace. Those books are being given to the children of farm workers in Aroostook County, as well as to college students who are also working on farms and involved with the NFJP.
“This is a great example of a community coming together to do something good,” said Michael Aube, president of EMDC.
EMDC staffs and runs the NFJP in Maine.
“The AETC grant provided the funding for the books, the online retailer made it possible to purchase more books than we would have been able to from another source and Houlton Higher Education Center donated reusable cloth carrying bags that we used when the books were delivered to the kids,” Aube said. “It’s nice to be able to help not just the workers, but to have a direct impact on their families.”
The NFJP, which is funded through the Employment and Training Administration Program of the U.S. Department of Labor, provides eligible migrant and seasonal farm workers and their dependents with workforce development services and assistance with training. Training may include basic skills/GED, approved trades school, on-the-job training or community college.
The FirstBook Marketplace offers new, award winning children’s books at greatly reduced prices for eligible programs like the NFJP. The mission of FirstBook is to provide new books to low income children, that they can keep as their own. Books available from The FirstBook Marketplace are primarily donated by publishers. More information on The FirstBook Marketplace can be found on its website, www.firstbook.org.
