Alix ’25 creates a bilingual library in their local food pantry providing opportunities for learning to the community and helping Spanish-speaking families maintain ties to their culture through literature.
This summer was more successful than I could have ever imagined. I was able to spend a promising 9 weeks at the local food pantry in my community. Not only did I get to use my Spanish speaking skills to help people pick out their weekly groceries, but I was also able to let parents who only speak Spanish read Spanish children’s books aloud to their kids.
In the beginning, I encountered some trouble while budgeting my “NOSH Library” of children’s books. At first, I had the quantity, type, and age group of the books selected and ready to purchase once I received my check, but I quickly realized that I would need to recalculate. It seemed to me that we would require many more Spanish books, but they are expensive because, unlike English books, they are incredibly impossible to find in a used and affordable condition; everything had to be new! So, I spent most of my budget on brand new Spanish books for babies all the way through teenagers and relied on my community to donate the English books I needed to complete my library. It was so amazing and humbling to see my friends and family pull through for me and donate hundreds and hundreds of used books for my library.
I could share so many specific anecdotes from all of the meaningful memories I made this summer at NOSH, but I would like to highlight just a few. One day, I was tasked with work in the back of the pantry, but I heard a group of kids come in, and when I twisted my head around the corner to the book shelf, I recognized them as kids who had visited my library the previous week. They were so excited to come back for more, and thanks to my community for their generous contributions and the surplus of Spanish books I was able to acquire as a result, I felt so accomplished because it confirmed that these kids were learning and had the equal opportunity I wanted them to have – they were also enthusiastic to read! Another important moment I had was with the head of the walk-in part of the food pantry who is mostly in charge of the Spanish speaking needs of this predominantly Spanish speaking area. We were talking, and he shared his concerns about the growing detachment bilingual children are experiencing from Spanish. This shift is leaving Spanish-speaking parents frustrated, as their children return from school wanting to continue speaking English rather than Spanish. He thanked me for providing Spanish books to these families, emphasizing how crucial it is to reinforce the values and importance of Spanish culture through literature, and simply speaking, in the community. What Manuel said to me gave me a new perspective and gave me the inspiration to keep this project going..
I am happy to report that I have figured out a way to maintain the library while I am away at school by continuing outreach to my old school, friends and donation organizations in order to acquire more books for NOSH which my parents have agreed to deliver to every few weeks. I couldn’t have done this without the strong foundation Deerfield started me with.
