ZEELAND — The teachers at Zeeland Public Schools turned to books as a way of helping their students while they can't be in the classroom.
The actual libraries are closed, and some students may not have the means to access books elsewhere. So, here's what they did. They started a GoFundMe page in order to raise money for the books. Their goal was $7000, to date, they've raised $7400.
Now in terms of books, it equates to more than 1,700 brand new books for ages Pre-K to 12th grade.
"There are so many people who got hit so hard by this that I thought our good fortune is something that should be shared and needs to be shared." said Bruce Vanderkolk, a teacher at Cityside Middle School.
They handed out the books to students at their meal distribution program on Mondays and Thursdays.
"The teachers in Zeeland are great people. And when the call went out to sign up for meal prep, the sheets were full within a day when the calling out for meal delivery. The sheets were full in a day. When the call went out to buy some books. The coffers were full in a day. You know, the teachers have just done a tremendous job, " said Vanderkolk.
Now these books are the latest and greatest for each grade level, and the best part? The students get to keep the books.
