Nonprofit to host spaghetti feed for youth literacy
Imagination is an essential part of childhood, and schoolteachers across the county agree creativity can be stimulated by the written word. In Moscow, First Book does its part by providing low-income children with books to foster their imaginations.
“(First Book) helps youth to have books to call their own,” said Matthew Maw, spokesman of the nonprofit.
First Book, a national nonprofit with an active local chapter, will host its 7th annual spaghetti feed to support youth literacy at 5 p.m. Wednesday, at the 1912 Center in Moscow. Tickets are $3 for children, $7 for adults and $20 for families. Although, Maw said there are a limited number of tickets available for low-income families.
The event boasts a meal provided by Mikey’s Greek Gyros and a free book for every child in attendance.
Maw said First Book distributes books to children at local events in the area, such as attending after-school community events in places like Plummer, Idaho. He said First Book recently had a table there with books organized by reading level and the children could come up and choose a book that interested them.
“It is really cool for them to have the option to pick a book,” said Morgan Fisher, First Book UI student representative. “(There were) so many choices they had trouble picking.”
When that happens, volunteers talk to the kids and point them toward books that match their hobbies or interests, Fisher said.
“It is important to give them a choice,” Fisher said.
Fisher said she would often help children out who didn’t have a specific topic that interested them. For example, the Plummer event had some Junie B. Jones books — her favorite as a kid — so she directed a lot of girls to them.
At that event, First Book gave 65 books to local youth, Maw said. At another event at the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Early Childhood Learning Center in Plummer, First Book was able to distribute 100 books to the local youth.
Maw said First Book exerts a lot of effort in fundraising these days because there were changes within the national organization that forced local chapters to rely on local fundraising dollars to operate.
“The only way we can get books into the hands of low-income children is through fundraising,” Maw said.
The annual spaghetti feed is the largest fundraiser of the year, Maw said. The event is more important this year because the majority of funds used locally have to be raised locally. He said if they don’t raise enough money then their ability to provide books will suffer.
“It is a little unsettling to think what will happen next year,” Maw said. “(You) can never support literacy enough.”
First Book has a close connection to the University of Idaho. Both Maw and Fisher first got involved in First Book through Sigma Tau Delta, an English honors society that has a strong focus on community service.
“I like the satisfaction of knowing that I did something good for someone else,” Fisher said. “(First Book) is a really worthy cause.”
Fisher said it is important for students to remember there are families in North Idaho who don’t have the same opportunities to read that others have. For that reason, she said First Book is looking for more student volunteers.
“It would be super awesome to see more UI students helping out,” Fisher said.
While there is a national push to improve literacy from coast to coast, Maw said he feels good about serving the Moscow community because things can only improve one step at a time.
“(Moscow) is a fertile environment for First Book,” Maw said. “I would urge community members to never take lightly the power of reading to kids.”
Graham Perednia can be reached at [email protected]