This is Why Libraries Matter: Ferguson

If you’re looking to help out in Ferguson, Mo., here’s a simple but important thing you can do: donate to their local library.
As a safety precaution for students, schools in the surrounding area of the St. Louis suburb closed after the grand jury reached a decision to not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. However, as tensions flare, the Ferguson Municipal Library has decided to keep their doors open.
Along with providing space for teachers to teach, it’s also offering water, computer access and lunch to visitors. The library also acts as welcome relief for parents who needed a safe place to bring their kids while they are at work. (A coalition of 11 churches in north St. Louis County are also open for the community, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports.) As we previously reported, the Ferguson library first stepped up in August after protests over the slain teen forced local schools to shutter their doors.
The cost of closing schools is far greater than students missing out on a few lessons. Quartz’s ideas editor S. Mitra Kalita writes that cancelling school is akin to “[closing] the door on the future.” A high school senior tells the Chicago Tribune that the August cancellations negatively impacted her college applications: “It’s been hard to keep up with band, tennis and National Honor Society meeting, when they were all getting scraped.” Even worse: With the poverty rate in Ferguson almost double Missouri’s average and more than 60 percent of students on free or reduced lunch plans, with the school grounds closed, many kids won’t get proper nutrition if they are not in school.
This is why libraries matter. They aren’t just places where you can occasionally check out a book. For Ferguson, it provides a safe haven for a community in turmoil.
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Amazingly, library director Scott Bonner tells Talking Points Memo that a steady stream of donations have been coming in since the Aug. 9 shooting — spiking following the grand jury’s announcement. About 1,200 people reached into their wallets, bringing total donations in the “five-digits.”
“I am flabbergasted and in disbelief as to whether or not it’s real,” he says.
Bonner also tells the publication that Good Samaritans are asking to help in other ways: “We’ve had a whole lot of volunteer teachers come in here with this drive to help people, bring that kind of optimism in.”
So how can you help? Donate to the Ferguson Municipal Library via their website here or send a check to the library at 35 N Florissant Ave, Ferguson, MO 63135. You can also directly donate to Ferguson teachers on this DonorsChoose.org page.

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With Ferguson in Turmoil, Teachers Are Cleaning Up the Mess

Finally, some good news in Ferguson, Mo. Even though the new school year has been postponed due to protests and fear of violence in the streets, teachers aren’t just waiting around until the chaos dies down.
Like true beacons of the community, these educators are cleaning the streets and holding classes at public libraries so parents have a place to bring their kids while they are at work.
NPR reports that 150 teachers in the nearby Jennings School District picked up broken glass, water bottles and tear gas canisters from the street. High school students also volunteered to help pick up the debris from the riots following the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
MORE: While Civil Unrest Rocks Their Community, This Teacher is Working to Prevent Ferguson’s Kids from Going Hungry
“We’re here to be part of the community,” high school math teacher David Fox told the Chicago Sun Times. “We’ve got to do something.”
The Jennings School District is also offering mental health counseling and making sure that students who receive free or reduced school lunches are being delivered their meals. According to Think Progress, the Riverview Gardens School District has also handed out free breakfast and lunch at three schools.
Providing food is so much more than an act of compassion. NationSwell previously that with the poverty rate in Ferguson almost double Missouri’s average, many kids don’t get proper nutrition unless they are in school.
“We like to tell kids we’re a lifeline,” Jennings School District superintendent Tiffany Anderson told NPR. “And that’s really the message that we’re giving today. We’re a lifeline.”
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While Civil Unrest Rocks Their Community, This Teacher is Working to Prevent Ferguson’s Kids from Going Hungry

Since police shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed, college-bound teenager in Ferguson, Mo., the violent unrest in the small town near St. Louis has yet to cease. With outrage and confusion coming from all directions, basic safety and calm are at a premium. Families are in danger, and as a result, school has been canceled for at least the remainder of this week.
In Ferguson, a week off from school means more than just missed lessons.
The poverty rate there is almost double Missouri’s average, so unfortunately, many kids don’t get proper nutrition unless they are in school, according to the Huffington Post.
Thankfully, Juliana Mendelsohn, a teacher in Raleigh, N.C., recognized the need to provide food and launched an online campaign to raise money for hungry children in Ferguson. Appealing for donations on the crowd funding site Fundly, Mendelsohn says, “when I found out school had been canceled for several days as a result of the civil unrest, I immediately became worried for the students in households with food instability.”
So far, over $78,000 has been raised by thousands of donors (as of publication), with another two days left to reach the goal of $80,000. Dennis Hu, Fundly’s CEO, was so impressed with the mission and success of the campaign that he personally called Mendelsohn to express his support for her.
All the money raised goes directly to help those in need through the St. Louis Area Foodbank, which says the funds are substantial enough to continue making a difference for the next year.
“Regardless of your opinion on the civil unrest in Ferguson,” Mendelsohn continued, “there is no need for innocent children to go hungry because of it.”
If you’re interested in donating, click here.
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