Evans Street Library
kids , it ’ s a community telling them that they and their families are welcomed , supported , and that we want you to succeed . This is just as important as the shoe itself .”
The street library has a box of pre loved school uniforms for the local area , with items for Caddies Creek Public School , Parklea Public , Glenwood High School and the Holy Cross Catholic School being donated by families when their kids have grown out of them .
While books , DVDs , toys and games are still a staple , Jennifer has stopped the pantry that they ran over Covid lockdowns . However , food donations are not ignored , they simply pass them on to the local churches and organisations who make sure they are given to people in need .
The library itself has changed over the past few years too . The shelving which is used to store the books and toys has been given a coat of paint or two , but recently Jennifer and Joe realised that their main storage area was looking the worse for wear .
“ Our library had been affected by water damage , so I asked for help in building a new one . We were given a large cabinet and John , a local man , who is part of the Men ’ s Shed in Glenwood which runs from Emmanuel Baptist Church , looked at it and said they would sort it out for us .
“ It ’ s all finished , and looks amazing , they have done a great job with it , we just need to arrange for a trailer to get it to the library as it ’ s a big piece of furniture !”
The library helps to raise vital finds for charity as well . Through the year they keep aside the new or good quality items and then hold a sale for them . People can pick up the items they chose and instead of giving Jennifer and Joe the donation , they use a QR code to make a donation straight to the charity involved . They have raised approximately $ 10,000 for the Kids with Cancer Foundation and have also raised money for a local boy who was diagnosed with cancer .
Jennifer and Joe do get breaks from running the library . They have a fantastic group of people who are more than happy to roll up their sleeves and help when a large request comes in and needs to be packaged up , or to take over and let them go on holiday .
Even so , there have been times when Jennifer has considered stepping back from it , but then she thinks about the value it provides . She also recommends that people start their own community space for sharing items .
“ It ’ s a space for community sharing , and this is an important need to be met within our community . It ’ s great for sustainability , repurposing and stopping good quality items from going to land fill . I would recommend other people give it a go in their community , it could be something like plant sharing , books , DVDs or toys , it takes a bit of work and time but it ’ s definitely worth it .” Jennifer said .
“ The community it builds can be amazing and it ’ s a safe place to come to that doesn ’ t cost anything . In the past we
Evan and his mum are still working hard to keep the library full for the community to enjoy .
used to pass things on to our neighbours and friends , this is just a different way to do that when you might not know people in your neighbourhood .”
If you are interested in starting you own street library , you can go to www . streetlibrary . org . au for information on how to get one up and running , or to find street libraries which are already operating in your area , visit Evans Garden Library and Community Kindness Project at 331 Glenwood Park Drive , Glenwood .
New items are added regularly and there are donation boxes on a bench for any items you would like to pass on . Their Facebook page is www . facebook . com / evansgardenlibrary and you can find them on Instagram at @ evans _ garden _ library .
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! ISSUE 102 // DECEMBER 2023 7