Thousands of Spanish-language children’s books and Black History books for all ages have found new homes in Marietta, thanks to a partnership between two nonprofits.
Books were not on the agenda for the North River Church of Christ chapter of HOPE Worldwide. HOPE volunteers just wanted to help their Marietta community, said Noelle Broyles, chapter leader and co-founder with her husband, Kevin Broyles.
Because books were available for free from Books For Africa (BFA), giving them away has opened doors to meet other community needs.
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Most Spanish books, as well as books in English, are loaned or given to children and families in nearby apartment complexes.
The Black History books were given away at Black History Month concerts at North River Church and on the Marietta Square last year on Juneteenth — the holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
On Juneteenth, HOPE volunteers brought 20 to 30 boxes filled with books, organized them, and encouraged passersby to take what they wanted. They brought home only one box, after giving out 2,000 books. The group plans another Juneteenth book giveaway in Marietta this year.
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“There’s a phrase I love,” said Broyes: “‘Everything is a yes until God says no.’ Giving books isn’t really one of our programs, but what a great idea.”
During the summer and school breaks, HOPE volunteers load their cars with bins of children’s books, both English and Spanish, along with bread and sweets donated from Publix. It’s enough to serve three Marietta apartment complexes of primarily Latino families.
Their program, Read for HOPE, provides books on loan and free food. Volunteers interact with the families and read and do crafts with the kids. Sometimes, they give out clothes, too.
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Credit: spe
Janice Youmans enjoys seeing the kids get books and helping them with crafts. Her 8-year-old granddaughter also volunteers and likes playing with the kids and helping them select books.
“I love to see kids with books,” said Youmans, a retired teacher from Marietta.
Some books on loan don’t come back, and that’s fine, said Broyles. Other times, the books are given away.
“The whole goal is just to help them to have books,” Broyles said, adding that it’s difficult for these families to get books because parents don’t speak English and don’t have cars to go to the library. The fear of being undocumented is real, she said.
“The very people you want to be exposed to all these books are the very ones who are having the hardest time getting them,” said Broyles.
The books were recycled from the Books For Africa (BFA) warehouse.
The Minnesota-based organization operates a warehouse in Marietta, where it receives large collections of books from schools, colleges, publishing companies, libraries and individuals. The books are sorted and readied for shipment to African countries when requested. However, not all of the books are wanted.
African countries don’t want American History books or books written in Spanish, said Jen Hale, BFA Atlanta community liaison. Only one African country — Equatorial Guinea — has Spanish as its native language.
Hale said she is glad that Books for Africa could save these books for others.
“BFA exists to spread literacy as a bridge out of poverty anywhere in the world. We change lives, one book at a time,” she said.
Broyles began getting BFA Spanish books when she and her husband served as HOPE volunteers in Bolivia. The couple started the Bolivia chapter in 2011 and served there until moving to Marietta in 2019 to be closer to their adult children. While in Bolivia, they helped start a free library.
Whenever Broyles was in Marietta visiting her children, she would buy Spanish-language books to stuff in her suitcase for the return flight to Bolivia. Once, when looking over discounted Spanish books at a Scholastic warehouse, a woman told her about Books For Africa, saying she might get free books from them.
From then on, Broyles and others traveling to Bolivia would pick up Spanish books set aside for them at the BFA warehouse.
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After moving to Marietta, Broyles looked for ways North River HOPE could serve the community with these free Spanish books. She sought advice from Marietta City Schools, and parent liaisons paved the way for the reading program in apartment complexes.
When Broyles discovered Black History books were also available, she wanted to find a way to give them out, too.
Again, HOPE volunteers sought advice from their community. Broyles invited local NAACP leadership to look at the books, now shelved at the North River Church. She was urged to get them out to the public.
“The whole heartbeat of HOPE Worldwide is to partner with our community and ask, ‘How can we best help?’ We’re not trying to do everything ourselves, just partnering and helping to strengthen our communities,” Broyles said.
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Other projects from the North River chapter include care packs for the unhoused and veterans. Volunteers help sort and pack boxes of books at the BFA warehouse and restock food pantries at two Marietta City schools.
Publix donations are boxed up and sent to another ministry and the Marietta City Schools for needy families. Expanding Read with HOPE to other neighborhoods is a future goal.
For more about HOPE Worldwide North River Church: https://nrcoc.org/ministries/hope-worldwide
For more about volunteering with Books For Africa: https://www.booksforafrica.org/
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