New York (TAN): What comes to mind when you think of a vending machine? Mainly chips and soda, I know. But United States-based budget carrier JetBlue has installed six vending machines in New York City stuffed with free books for children.
Part of ‘Soar with Reading’ initiative launched by the airline, the free book vending machines give New York’s underserved children access to age-appropriate reading. JetBlue has earlier brought such vending machines to cities such as Detroit in Michigan, San Francisco and Oakland, in California, Washington, DC and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is the first time the programme, in its ninth year, has been introduced to New York City.
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“As New York City’s hometown airline, we’re excited to bring our Soar with Reading program home. Over the past five years, we’ve made a tremendous impact with our book vending machine program,” JetBlue’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Icema Gibbs said.
“We can’t deny the need right in our own backyard. This year, it was important for us to focus our efforts on the city that welcomed us from day one and made us who are. Although we’re located in Long Island City, there is so much more to New York City, from Brownsville to the South Bronx, Harlem and the Rockaways to Port Richmond. Our goal is to help improve book access for children in every borough and beyond,” she added.
The machines were placed across the city’s five boroughs, with one machine in each borough and two in Queens. They were installed in neighbourhoods where book buying capacity is restricted, with help from professor of childhood and literacy education at NYU Steinhardt Dr. Susan B. Neuman.
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“For kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, summer often marks the beginning of the infamous summer slide. Studies have shown that owning 25 books or more has a sizable effect on achievement, with each additional increment of books, such as 10 or more, improving achievement. This program allows children to own books and combat the knowledge loss that so often accompanies summer,” she said.
The vending machines can be found at the Police Athletic League Inc. New South Bronx Center in Bronx, the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn, the Riverbank State Park in Manhattan, the Farber Park recreation centre on Staten Island, the Queens Public Library main branch in Jamaica, Queens, and the Ocean Bay Community Cornerstone, Queens.
They will be restocked every two weeks with new titles in English and Spanish. They will also contain select books for adults, JetBlue said.
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