September Brought the Joy of Giving for Our Library Patrons

Tracey Stitt, teacher at Martha Gaskins Elementary School

As September comes to an end, it has really been an exciting month. We call it benevolent month for library patrons. Patrons had the privilege of receiving replacement cards for free. Who doesn’t like something for free? The most common phrase we heard was “I am glad I came to the library this month in order to get this free replacement card." This matter of goodwill goes a long way with our patrons. Thank you Public Libraries of Jefferson County for September National Library Card Sign-up (and replacement!) Month.

This month also represents Food for Fines month. This is an annual event where you can assist in helping people in need by giving up to ten non-perishable items in place of money (or fines) for local food banks. Of course the holidays are around the corner and there are a lot of people in need in the Greater Birmingham area.

We had a very unique situation at Pratt City library where one of our most dedicated patrons, Tracey Stitt, decided to implement a food drive through her school, Martha Gaskins Elementary. She and two other teachers, Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Spencer, were teaching a unit on weather and the impact of weather on recreational activities, agriculture, the economy, and society. Mrs. Stitt said they learned about weather such as tornadoes, blizzards, tsunamis, hurricanes, and floods. (Pratt City Library was destroyed by an April 2011 tornado.) Since Mrs. Stitt is an avid library user she, decided to tie that in to the library’s September food drive.

Mrs. Tracey Stitt has been a teacher for 22 years and a library patron for as many more years. She, along with Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Spencer, had their 2nd grade students bring food to support Pratt City’s food drive. These teachers represent innovative thinking and teaching, and the children learned a valuable lesson about giving and its importance.

 Kudos to Mrs. Stitt. Dr.E. Finley is the principal of Martha Gaskins Elementary School.

Deborah Drake
Pratt City Library