When imagining a library, you typically think of a large, old, looming building. But at Oak Bottom Village in Quarryville, PA, the library is quite the opposite.
The community recently opened a Little Free Library to encourage residents to “take a book and share a book.” The library is a small wooden structure lined with shelves to hold books residents can exchange. Little Free Libraries have been established across the country to provide increasing access to books for people of all ages and backgrounds and millions of books have been exchanged through the program.
Oak Bottom’s Little Free Library is the result
of another community initiative, the Fresh Express program through Central PA Food Bank, which provides fresh produce to residents living in designated food deserts.
Sylvia Drennen, director of the Quarryville Library, visited Oak Bottom during a Fresh Express distribution day and noticed the small library (two bookshelves of books) in the corner of Oak Bottom’s community room. She reached out to Resident Services Coordinator Jennifer Santiago, mentioning that Solanco School District had a grant to build Little Free Libraries throughout the district.
Santiago knew this was an opportunity for residents. She jumped at the chance to increase access to learning and literacy in the community. Drennen connected Santiago with Karen Burkhart, an employee of the school district to begin the process. Burkhart was already familiar with HDC MidAtlantic having been both a former resident at Oak Bottom and a former employee of the organization. Drennen, Burkhart and Santiago collaborated to install the Little Free Library at Oak Bottom.
HDC MidAtlantic, Solanco School District and Quarryville Library hosted a soft opening for the library this summer to celebrate with Oak Bottom and Quarryville residents. Moving forward, a Quarryville Library volunteer will replenish the books on regularly.
While the library is housed at Oak Bottom, it is accessible to everyone in the community and both Oak Bottom and Quarryville residents are encouraged to “check out” and share books through the library. It’s already served as a useful tool for parents in the community looking to help their children stay on top of their summer reading during the school break. Residents can locate the library using the Little Free Library map available online.
Click here for more information about the Little Free Library or HDC MidAtlantic’s Resident Services.
Finding a place to live that meets one’s basic needs and budget can feel like a never-ending challenge. The complexity of lower-income families and individuals extend far beyond simply finding a safe, affordable, and welcoming place to call home. At HDC, we are committed to being an ally in speaking to issues, programs, and policies that improve quality of life of our residents. Issues that we know are important to our residents include:
Every voice matters. At HDC, we are committed to raising up resident voices and opening doors so that residents can actively participate in the democratic process, speak out on issues important to them and their communities, and communicate how policies affect their everyday lives. We believe it is important to make the time and space to listen, and to support resident leaders in effectively using their voices. We support resident advocacy opportunities through our Resident Academy of Leadership & Inspiration, Voter Registration Drives, and holding constituent meetings and tours with elected officials.
We know we can’t solve the affordable housing challenge alone. We need champions to help change the conversation around what home means and why it matters. We are committed to educating elected officials to understand the needs and challenges of their constituents. We are here to provide solutions that work and offer affordable housing expertise that demonstrates the impact policy decisions have on lower-income families, seniors and those with disabilities. We work closely with and participate in alliances and coalitions to educate and advance shared policy priorities. Our advocacy partners include:
Wendy Smith serves as the Vice President of Property Management, responsible for the overall strategic direction for HDC’s management portfolio and the organization’s largest staff team. Previously, Wendy served as Asset and Operations Manager for a leading real estate firm based in New York City which owned over 11,000 affordable homes. Since 2008, Wendy has held roles in regional level operations for commercial and for-profit housing agencies. Wendy holds a degree in International Studies.
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