Siblings, local church donate books

Photo

Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Siblings John and Julie Dellick recently donated over 1000 books to a Kentucky community. Recently, the siblings and some close friends sorted and cleaned the books to be ready for shipment. The group helping were, from left, Rachel Briach, Julie Dellick, Fr. Terry Hazel of St. Michael's Church in Canfield, and John Dellick.

This week, a collection of more than 1,200 books will arrive in Grahn, Ky., thanks to two resourceful Canfield teenagers.

John and Julie Dellick, who both attend Canfield High School, found that they had amassed a huge collection of children’s books. Instead of donating or throwing away the literature, the siblings decided to give them away.

“We wanted others to enjoy what we had for so many years. The books were only gently worn and able to be reused, so we found no reason not to let others benefit from our books. I think that there is no better way to help others learn,” shared Julie Dellick.

The Dellicks wanted their project to grow, so they contacted Fr. Terry Hazel of St. Michael’s Church in Canfield to ask if his church would like to join the book collection.

Annually, St. Michael’s Church travels to Grahn for mission trips. The Dellicks discovered that one in four residents in the small Kentucky community live in poverty, and that many families use any extra funds to buy daily necessities, instead of books.

“It felt like the right place to send our books. It’s going to help a lot of underprivileged kids,” Julie Dellick said.

Through the generosity of St. Michael’s parish members, the Dellicks collected their final count of more than 1,200 books. Rachel Briach, a Canfield High School classmate, helped the siblings sort and clean the books before packing them up for the church’s upcoming mission trip.

The Dellicks hope to continue their book drive next year and beyond.

“We hope to add drop-off spots in locations around Canfield by next year. Someday, we’d like it to be a community-wide book drive,” Julie Dellick said of the future.