They are Saanichton’s longest running women’s book club, but instead of focusing solely on their own reading selections, the group dedicates their time to collecting, sorting and distributing gently used children's picture books to young children and families across the Saanich Peninsula.
Saanich Peninsula Children’s Book Recycling Society, comprised of 11 dedicated women, meets every Thursday at the Individual Learning Centre (ILC) on Mount Newton Cross Road.
There, they transform donated books into treasures, carefully cleaning, labeling and packaging them for distribution through a network of local agencies.
"The most gratifying part of volunteering here each Thursday and attending public events is meeting people who share how they have relied on these books for their children over the years," says Paulette Kushner, president of the society. "They'll often tell us, ‘I know about your society – my child learned to read because of the bag of books we received from you'."
The society's impact extends far and wide.
They distribute books on a rotating basis to family-serving agencies, including programs run by Beacon Community Services, Aboriginal Head Start programs and the three StrongStart centres located on the Peninsula. Municipal halls in Central and North Saanich, the Peninsula Co-op and the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank are also regular recipients of the society’s generosity.
"Overall, we serve approximately 30 programs and actively participate in community events whenever we're invited to set up a table and give away books," explains executive director Daphne McNaughton. "We handle the distribution ourselves, ensuring the books reach those who need them most."
The society's work typically spans from the first week of September to the third week of June, allowing for a well-deserved summer break.
However, even during the summer months, they ensure a steady supply of books remains available at the Peninsula Co-op and the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank.
"We also occasionally receive requests from the Peninsula Health Unit," McNaughton adds. "The health nurses use our books during immunization clinics, explaining that it helps ease the anxiety associated with the injection, effectively 'taking the sting out of the poke'."
The genesis of the Saanich Peninsula Children’s Book Recycling Society stems from conversations between McNaughton and her colleagues at Peninsula Connections for Early Childhood many years ago.
Drawing on their experience in public education, they recognized a concerning trend: a significant number of students entering the school system with limited exposure to books.
These children often lacked experience being read to, requiring additional resources to support their learning.
"After one too many cups of coffee one evening, I did the math," McNaughton recalls. "Even if we consider just 300 days in a year, accounting for holidays, visitors, or illness, that still adds up to over 1,500 books if you're reading one story a night."
Inspired by this calculation, the society adopted the "1,000 by 5" initiative.
"We're committed to doing everything we can to help ensure that more children on the Peninsula have at least 1,000 books read to them or 1,000 stories read to them by the time they're five years old and entering kindergarten," McNaughton explains.
Since its inception in 2008, the society has processed an astounding number of books.
As of today, they have amassed a total of 221,396 books, a testament to their unwavering dedication and the generosity of the community.
"I believe we all take immense pride in making a difference in the lives of not only the children but also their families and the educators working in schools," McNaughton said. "The school district benefits greatly from an incoming student population that has already developed strong early literacy skills."
Each bag of books the society prepares contains three carefully selected stories, packed with care and love, according to volunteer and secretary Lorraine Borstad.
"I think it's safe to say that all of us grew up having books read to us as children," Borstad says, her voice filled with emotion. "My hope is that through this program, kids will develop the same love of books that I still cherish to this day."
As the women of the Saanich Peninsula Children’s Book Recycling Society plan their upcoming lunch gathering, they share a collective wish: that the thousands of books they have diligently packed over the past 10 months will find their way into the hands of children and foster shared experiences between children and their parents, creating a lasting legacy of literacy and a lifelong love of reading.
The organization is always looking for donations of gently used children's books and volunteers to help with their efforts.
Those interested can visit 1000x5.ca.
