The halls of Fancher and Mary McGuire elementary schools in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., have just received new vending machines.
Book vending machines.
Northern Initiatives customer Sleepy Dog Books has partnered with Mt. Pleasant Public Schools to provide two book vending machines to the district in a continued effort to support literacy in the schools and across the community.
These book vending machines will become a new part of the school’s positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) program. Students are able to earn book tokens for making positive choices in their learning environment. One token equals one book that the student gets to take home and keep.
“Each time our students walk by the book machine, the conversation shifts to the books that they want to read. Reading becomes at the forefront of their minds,” says Kathleen Bunker, 4th grade teacher at Mary McGuire Elementary.
Jennifer and Riley Justis have always made sure Sleepy Dog Books, Mount Pleasant’s only independent bookstore, is focused on outreach to ensure they are able to make an impact on the lives of children across Isabella County.
From donating 200 stuffed animals to the local hospital care bags, to supporting efforts across the community, the book vending machines are the next step toward their organization’s mission to impact the community in positive ways.
“By providing the machines and partnering with the District to bring the latest book titles to the halls of these schools, we are hopeful to drive student interest in reading and passion for physical books,” Jenny says.
Jenny and Riley are thrilled to give back to the community and foster a passion for reading in students of all ages.
“Literacy has always been near and dear to my heart. One of our goals when opening Sleepy Dog was to get books into kids’ hands and this partnership with the school district is a big step in helping with that,” Jenny says.
With the launch of this partnership, the students will have access to popular titles in their schools for them to earn and make their own.
Sleepy Dog Books has their brick and mortar building storefront and online, selling books at sleepydogbooks.com.
