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Little Free Library’s PanCAN library
You’ve probably seen one in your very own neighborhood. Little Free Libraries, driven by community and a love of reading, are found in more than 100 countries and recently just reached a significant milestone: the 100,000th library was installed in Houston, Texas.
Little Free Library is also the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s (PanCAN) latest Cause Marketing partner, creating specially designed purple libraries and support plaques for existing little libraries.
The partnership acknowledges founder Todd Bol, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2018 and who had created the first Little Free Library in honor of his mother, a schoolteacher who loved to read.
Little Free Libraries become neighborhood supply centers.
Normally, the little libraries are full of books, in fulfillment of their mission: ‘Take a book, share a book.’ These days, many stewards are turning their Little Free Library into a neighborhood center for food, protective masks and yes, toilet paper.
One steward closed their library but started creating dioramas in the box using marshmallow Peeps to populate the scene. A special Sharing-Box map has been created on the Little Free Library website – and it’s open to all, not just registered Little Free Libraries.
“It’s all happened organically, which shows the type of people we have as stewards,” said Greig Metzger, Little Free Library Executive Director. “I’ve seen a food pantry, a library stocked with masks and one with puzzles and craft supplies to help entertain kids.”
At the year anniversary of the founder’s passing, with the urging of the Board and staff, research was done to find an organization with which to partner. One Board member found PanCAN and said, “This is the one!”
Stewards adapt Little Free Libraries to engage communities during pandemic.
“With Little Free Library, everything depends on the selfless actions and engagement of our volunteer stewards at the local level,” said Metzger. “From that perspective, the similarities in our organization make perfect sense for a partnership.”
Little Free Library offers a list of best practices during the coronavirus outbreak on their website for stewards who have questions – first and foremost to follow the advice of the CDC and local health authorities to determine community safety.
We are grateful to partners like Little Free Library, who will donate $50 to the organization for every PanCAN Little Free Library and $15 for every PanCAN Plaque sold.
Thanks to our generous donors, we ensure our vital resources and education materials reach the patients and caregivers urgently seeking information on the disease, treatment options, specialists and more.
