BORDERS Pholof by Todd Luck Borders' Trey Anderson and Joe Champion pose with some of the donated books. A Feast for the Mind Book stores and Second Harvest team up to give books to kids BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC's mission is primarily to fill stomachs. But feeding young minds has always been a goal as well. To that end, a lot of young people are about to get a lot to read thanks to a book drive held by Triad area Borders and Waldenbooks that has collected 2,170 donated books. The books will go to the food bank's Kids Cafes and BackPack Program, two pro grams that feed low income children. While food and books may sound like an odd combo, the two go together perfectly according to Erin Foster. "A lot of the kids that are coming to these sites have home lives where books are not a normal purchase," said Foster, Second Harvest's mar keting manger. "Some of these families are struggling to put food on the table." The food bank runs Kid's Cafes, which feeds children three nights a week, at various community sites throughout the city. The cafes regularly feature tutoring and enrichment activi ties. The Backpack Program sends a backpack full of food home with kids in rural areas. Last month. Borders and Waldenbooks (a Borders sub sidiary), across the nation col lected books for local charities. Local stores made Second Harvest the beneficiary of their efforts. The Winston-Salem Borders in Thruway Shopping Center collected more than 1 ,200 books. They were pur chased at the store by Borders customers and then donated to the effort. Store Manager Joe Champion said he and his staff were happy to get behind such a worthy cause. "I think part of the goal for Borders is to get children read ing," said Champion. The' store made sure that every person who walked through the doors knew about the book dive. Displays touting the effort were set up through out the store, including near Customers at the Winston-Salem Borders donated more than 1 ,000 books. cash registers. Cashiers also pitched the drive, asking cus tomers to donate as they rung them up. Announcements were also made over the store inter com system. Trey Anderson, who coordi nated the book drive at Borders, was pleased with what he called an amazing response from customers. Cashiers kept a stack of books, ranging in price from $4 - $20, nearby so that customers who agreed to take part in the drive could eas ily purchase one for the book drive. In many cases, Anderson said, customers bought entire stacks of kid-friendly books for the drive. "We had a lot of people doing that," he said. Champion and Anderson say Borders customers deserve a big pat on the back for their generosity. "I want to make it clear to the community how thankful we are for the participation," said Champion. "I was really impressed with how the com munity pulled together." A financial contribution wjll also be made to Second Harvest as part of the effort. Five percent of the total sales of the donated books will go to the agencies. All the book sales totaled nearly $10,000. For more information about Second Harvest and how to get involved, including volunteer opportunities for September's Hunger Action Month, visit www.hungernwnc .org . Winston Salem Business Park l_ ' ^Oj 1 NCI ? OT Ni W W a i KERTOWN I ^ I > /V Mm Si ? Plan for eleven 2,500? t( office building* ? Can l?e ?undivided into 1,250? ?f ruitea ? Part for Sal ?; Buildings for Leaie ? Potential Seller Financing meridian 722-1 986 Contact Michael D. Gwyn News Clips YWCA to host Wii Tournament As part of its observance of National Family Health & Fitness Day on Sept. 27, the Gateway YWCA is holding a Wii Tournament for kids ages 6-12. Children will compete in age groups 6-8; 8-10 and 10-12. Kids will compete for prizes including MP3 players, Wii accessories, gift cards and other prizes. There is no fee to enter. Play begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Gateway YWCA, 1300 S. Main St. For more information, call Hatti Taylor at 354-1590, ext. 312. Jaycees to host candidate's forum The Winston-Salem Jaycees are hosting a Candidates' Forum on September 21 at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Bolton Street cam pus of Forsyth Technical Community College . The event is free and open to the public. McCrory Candidates from the Forsyth County Commissioner's race have been invited as well as other local and state candidates. Organizers say that Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who is running for governor, has accepted the -> invitation to attend, while his Democratic opponent, Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue, has declined the invitation to attend. "We are proud during this important election year to offer the opportunity for the public to hear from the candi dates in person," said Ben Marsh, 2008 President of the Winston- Salem Jaycees. For more information on the Candidates' Forum, please email wsjc2002 @ aol .com . The Winston-Salem Jaycees is a leadership organ ization targeting young pro fessionals ages 21-40. 1968 Aggie football team plan reunion North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University's 1968 Aggie Football Team is host ing a 40th Reunion Weekend event on Oct. 25. Organized by former foot ball player Merl F. Code and a host of former players, the reunion was initiated to pay homage to the many players who have gone on and those who have contributed in their careers to society. To register for the event, go to www.68aggiefootball.com or call 864-525-1900. Returning participants will also attend the Aggie vs. Howard foot ball game at Aggie Stadium and host a banquet at the Downtown Marriott Hotel. Michelle Obama returns to N.C. Michelle Obama, wife of" Democratic presidential nom inee Senator Barack Obama, is slated to return to North Carolina today (Sept. 18) for a women's economic round table in Charlotte and a North Carolina Women for Obama rally in Greensboro. Obama started the series of economic roundtable dis cussions early in the primary season to hear firsthand the stories of working women who have struggled to support their families through eight years of failed economic poli cies. In discussions across Obama the country. Obama has shared her husband's plans to make Washington work for working families, and grow the overall economy by strengthening the middle class. Obama's last visit to North Carolina was the day before the Democratic primary in May; she hosted a roundtable discussion with military spouses at Fort Bragg to dis cuss the unique challenges facing military spouses and their families. The Greensboro event will be at the Carolina Theatre, 310 S Greene St., sometime after 2 p.m. It is free and open to the public but tickets are few and far between. School advisory committee to meet this evening The Community Advisory Committee of Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools will start its second year with a meeting at 6 p.m. this evening (Sept. 18). The group is open to all community members who do not have a direct link to the school system. It's an effort ? to help those not connected to schools see how the school system works, ask questions, and make suggestions about how things can be done bet ter. Possible topics for Thursday's meeting include curriculum issues, school construction, transportation and No Child Left Behind. The meeting will be held in the Media Center of the Career Center, 1605 Miller Street. Steadfast. Secure. Enduring. The qualities you need in a banlc. Money doesn't grow on trees, which is exactly why you need a bank whose roots run deep. 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