HATCh Literacy Event
On Saturday, the Hampton Area Alliance for Thriving Children (HATCh), which I help lead along with a group of incredible local advocates, educators, activists, and parents, held its second annual family literacy fair at Winnacunnet High School. Over 100 families came for free books, made buttons and bookmarks, promised to read for 20 minutes a day, and visited the Gather mobile grocery bus where they could pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared meals, eggs, milk, bread, and other staples—all for free!
One of the highlights was a visit from llama llama, who came from the Children's Museum of New Hampshire to read us a story.
A word about HATCh: this amazing group came together a couple years ago to support families of young children. The founder, Patrice, is an expert in early intervention and family outreach. She has worked with area families, public schools, and nonprofits for years and wanted to help provide more support for children ages 1-5 and their parents.
The Gather bus, serving communities with fresh produce, prepared meals, and staples like milk, bread, and eggs.
In addition to the literacy fair, HATCh runs a playgroup and makes house visits to deliver bags full of books, games, and community resources for parents and children. HATCh is a great example of the kinds of community organizations that serve as the glue holding our towns and cities together, and it’s a model of civic engagement that our local, state, and federal government should support with much more substantial resources.
New Hampshire is the state with the oldest population in the country. So being part of a community event with hundreds of people, ranging in age from newborns to grandparents in their 80s really filled me with appreciation for the amazing community we have here on the Seacoast. A community and a country that puts children first and acknowledges and addresses the experiences of caregivers of every age is stronger and more resilient.
Llama llama from the NH Children’s Museum stopped by to read with the kids!
I am incredibly proud and grateful to be a part of HATCh, and I have learned so much from the wonderful teachers, parents, grandparents and community partners who support our community and our families in this way. This group is a key part of why I want to serve on the Committee on Education & the Workforce in the US House of Representatives.
No committee in Congress touches more moments in a family's life, from a toddler showing up to a HATCh playgroup, to a high schooler at Winnacunnet weighing college or tradeschool, to a parent stretching to pay for childcare, to a grandparent counting on a secure retirement. The work HATCh does on a shoestring should be backed by a federal partner that takes early childhood, literacy, food security, and the people who care for our kids as seriously as our community does. That's the kind of Congress I want to help build: one that meets the love and dedication of communities like ours with the resources and respect they deserve.
Some of the amazing Seabrook Reads volunteers who helped make Saturday’s event possible!
