South Miss. Regional Library needing extra support for summer reading program

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) -The South Mississippi Regional Library in Marion and Jefferson Davis counties is in need of some financial help for its summer reading programs,.

The programs are scheduled to begin next week, but the grants that traditionally had funded the enterprise simply were not available this year.

That’s forced library administrators t ask for the public’s help.

“We did not get our “Save the Children” funding that we had been getting for years,” said Ryda Worthy, South Mississippi Regional Library director . “We didn’t get our Dollar General funding that we had applied for. Our friends reached out to the Walmart Foundation to try to get some funding and that was unfortunately denied, just budget concerns I’m sure.

“So, we found ourselves a month before summer reading starts with not really much of a budget.”

Donations will purchase program supplies for a prize store, which provides incentives for children who take part in the program.

“We’ve raised enough money to cover the (program’s) performance fees,” Worthy said. “We had a little bit of grant funding from another grant that helped us with some craft supplies. So, primarily, we’re looking for things to reward the children with.

“Anything from puzzles to games, activities, craft supplies, art supplies. If people don’t want to give money, they can pick up something like that and bring it by the libraries. Or if they’d be more comfortable with us picking it out, cash donations are fine as well.”

A wish list of supplies needed for the program and the prize store can be found on the South Mississippi Regional Library’s Facebook page.

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