HATCh Literacy Event
Llama Llama from the NH Children’s Museum stopped by to read with the kids!
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 literacy fair at Winnacunnet High School. Over 100 families came to get free books, make buttons and art projects, sign a literacy pledge, and visit the Gather mobile grocery store bus where they could choose from a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared meals, egg, milk, bread, and other staples—all for free!
One of the highlights was a visit from LLama Llama from the NH Children’s museum, who came to read with the families and take pictures with the families who came to the event.
A word about HATCh: this amazing group came together a couple years ago to support families of young children. It’s founder, Patrice Baker, an expert in early intervention and family outreach who has worked with area schools for decades, identified a need in the community to provide more support to children, age 2-5, and their parents, who can benefit from activities and resources to keep them engaged in the community and supported as their children prepare to enter the public school system in Kindergarten.
In addition to the literacy fair, HATCh runs playgroups 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 they are a model of civic engagement that our local, state, and federal government need to support with much more substantial resources.
The Gather bus, serving communities with fresh produce, prepared meals, and staples like milk, bread, and eggs.
New Hampshire has the second oldest population of any state, and seeing 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 found here on the Seacoast. It also reminded me that every major challenge our country faces are deeply intertwined with the needs of families, from affordable childcare to social security to international peace and diplomacy. 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.
I am incredibly proud to be a part of the leadership of HATCh, and I am incredibly proud of this event and what it represents about the future of our community. I have learned so much from the incredible teachers, parents, and community organizers that have come together to support our community and its families in this way, and I will work to champion groups like HATCh in Congress!
Some of the amazing volunteers who helped make Saturday’s event possible!
