Over 25,000 School Library Books Destroyed in Letcher Flood; You can help!

Donate elementary and middle school books to any WCPS school

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky – Some eastern Kentucky students are finally starting school again, but a few schoolchildren are returning to the water-damaged libraries…all traces of books have been completely washed away.

Letcher County schools released photos of their flood-damaged libraries.

Two elementary schools and one middle school together lost over 25,000 library books; Not to mention the damage to the county’s public libraries and bookmobile.

Letcher County posted a request for book donations on social media, and WCPS immediately wanted to step up to the plate.

From now through next Friday, September 9th, you can donate gently used, age-appropriate books for middle school and elementary school children.

dr Tracey Young, WCPS director of grants and outreach, said: “To be a part of it [donating] as a district and let our team of 3000 employees do it for someone else. To me, that’s what life is about, and that’s what our educators are about.”

Book donation boxes are set up in all WCPS schools directly in front of their entrance doors.

Lecher County Schools sent a statement to News 40, which said: “Thank you for thinking of all of us in eastern Kentucky…” and “The district has received several book donations for which we are very grateful…”

WCPS says the need for donations is arriving close to home.

“After the tornadoes, when people donated to us,” Young said. “It was such a tragic time, but it was also a time that restored your faith in humanity. So when we received donations that we knew would be helpful, we actually celebrated.”

To date, WCPS has donated over $21,000 in gift cards to Family Resource Coordinators in Eastern Kentucky.

District schools have also sent truckloads of donated furniture to affected schools.