Further to what is written below, we now have a partnership with South East Edinburgh Foodbank. Over 50 books were delivered during the February 2022 half term to the South East Edinburgh Foodbank. They were delighted with the gifts and are happy to receive future donations of children’s book. The aim is to improve the lives of children living in poverty.
How can you help?
1. Books for Bairns is now on Twitter @BookBairns – please follow, retweet and generally help spread the word!
2. We would like more donations of children’s picture book – especially for children aged 3-7.
3. Please email the office, office@stpetersedinburgh.org, if you have links for partnerships we can make with other Lothian food banks.
Reading and the enjoyment of books is a lifelong gift to give all children.
Sadly some children live in families where there is no money for food, and far less for books.
Inspired by the unusual statue of a cherub reading at the back of St Peter’s, and the Christian value of charity, as well as being part of the Church Book Group, I thought of the idea of us donating books.
Any picture books for children aged between 0-10 are very welcome. These will be donated to our local food banks for distributing throughout the year.
Please put any books you wish to donate into the box at the back of church or hand them into the office. Thank you.
The full article of the following, by Christine Rednall, can be found on page 6 of the November 2021 issue of News & Views, https://stpetersedinburgh.org/news-views-november-2021, and there will be an update in the March 2022 magazine.
In our Rector’s Harvest sermon prompting us as Christians to find our voices and find our causes really resonated. In a world where we are bombarded by others’ voices it can be so easy to ignore one’s own quiet voice of reason and the moral, ethical and Christian compass which we all possess.
So what can I or we do? Being reminded of the following story:
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.
Then, smiling at the man, he said …“I made a difference for that one.”
So … what do I take from this simple story? I can make a difference to the life of at least one child … every day and – one every day – well soon that adds up to a whole beach.
The image of the harvest collection and the injustice of food banks being a necessity for some made me realise that for some children, if there is no money for food, there is certainly never going to be money for books.
As an educator with a lifelong love of reading and learning this thought saddens me greatly.
I’ve decided to start an initiative of giving donated books to food banks which could then be given in addition to the food to families with children.
Christine can be contacted via the church office, office@stpetersedinburgh.org