A Day in the Life of a Brooklyn Book Bodega Giveaway
By: Katherine Pantazis
Volunteers help kids find books that appeal to their interests or suggest something new.
We have teamed up with New York Cares to bring volunteers to Brooklyn Book Bodega giveaways alongside our partner organizations like United Community Centers in East New York, Brooklyn. Read on to see what a book giveaway is like and why community members find it essential.
Children get excited when they recognize books from school. Board books are a popular item at this giveaway.
“The best part is the kids,” says Ancil Young, a New York Cares volunteer, “watching the kids with the books.” He is new to NYC and has been volunteering at a variety of sites across the city, including this Brooklyn Book Bodega giveaway with United Community Centers. He’s been on the move for the last hour — hauling bags of books in a wheelbarrow and setting up the outdoor book tables. Now he's reaching out to kids and their caregivers, asking what types of books the kids like, and sifting through stacks and bags of books to find the right fit.
Some of the kids are shy at first, but pretty soon each one spots a book they like and after that, they keep finding interesting things to read. Dinosaurs? Pirates? Trains? Sesame Street? And of course, superheroes. Many kids don’t want to leave, hoping to look at just one more book!
New York Cares enables volunteers to pick assignments from a variety of organizations, activities, and events. Many of today’s volunteers are first-time Brooklyn Book Bodega volunteers, but everyone quickly gets the hang of the system and works hard to make the event a success and have fun doing it. Volunteer Chelsea says she loves to read, so she is well suited for helping kids and adults pick out books. Many volunteers commented that this was a fun assignment because they got to talk to community members (and take home a free book or two).
Even the smallest readers like to pick out books! This local mom knew of the Brooklyn Book Bodega from the East New York Farmers Market just down the street.
This book giveaway is part of a larger United Community Centers (UCC) event including a Covid vaccine clinic and food distribution, drawing many people to the UCC on a chilly March afternoon. Even if people come for other reasons, it’s hard to walk by two tables full of books and not stop to take a look, and maybe pick up some books for a niece, nephew, or grandchild. Today the volunteers distribute approximately six hundred books in around two hours.
Volunteer Ancil helps parents find books about African-American history.
In the summer, UCC hosts giveaways at the East New York Farmers Market, but over the winter they have been hosting these smaller grab-and-go events for the community. “There aren’t any bookstores in this neighborhood,” says Tiana Rainford, Co-Director of Community Engagement at UCC. “The libraries aren’t always open. This is like our little free bookstore.” She says that it’s good not only for the community but for the staff as well. “There are classics I remember reading in high school and people can take them and then read to their children,” she says. “or, people find new books to read.” The farmers market will start up again in June. Then people can spend longer with the books, check out the UCC community farm, and maybe even listen to music.
The UCC also hosts a pre-k program, so several teachers come by to pick up books for their classes. “Kids are reading books on lots of topics,” says teacher Carol. “We can put all the things together and look at what kids want.” She likes to be able to send books home with her students over the weekends and the Bodega giveaways make that possible.
Local mom Maly comes with her two youngest children in a stroller on their way to return books to the library. They take some picture books, and then she returns with her two older children so they can pick books, too. She is concerned that the schools might not have enough books to keep the kids interested in reading, and she wants her kids to be good readers from the outset. “I know if they don’t do it now, it’s going to be more work later,” she says.
Another woman says her nephew reads everything. “He will read all of these books this weekend!” she says. “I like having him read them to me. I tell him, ‘If you don’t know a word, then you ask Auntie.’” She recalls how nice it is to share a favorite book — one so loved that the cover falls off. Plus, books “keep them off the gadgets!”
Several caregivers mention wanting books as an alternative to screen time. Mom Emily says she wants her son Ellis to have books to read wherever he is, on the train, for example. “It’s hard to build your own library at home because buying all these books would cost as much as rent…I want him to be able to feel the books, and hold them in his hands. My son loves building a library. He’s so careful with the books, always holding them by the spines.”
It isn’t just young kids that are drawn in by the selection of books. The teenagers may have spent the longest time browsing, reading several pages of a book before making a decision about it. They come away with books about social issues, mysteries, and romances.
Third-grader Mildred says it's hard to pick a favorite book. “I like long books and short books. I just like books!
Katherine Pantazis is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn. She has also worked as an early childhood educator and attorney. When she isn’t reading, she might be in an art museum or playing outside with her kids.