COTS, Local Church Team Up for Literacy

North Bay congregations from Rohnert Park's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this week gathered hundreds of books, art materials and every-day necessities, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, for 60 homeless children throughout Sonoma County.

Donations were made to the Committee on the Shelterless, a homeless outreach program in Rohnert Park and Petaluma, who will then distibute handmade bags filled with books to kids in need.

"Illiteracy is a huge problem," said Emily Veith, in charge of children's programs at COTS. "We wanted give the kids something they could call their own."

Volunteers on a recent day lined a half-dozen tables with books, while Veith filled hand-sewn shoulder bags with books to fit each kid's personality.

Books, ranging from ages 1 to 16, varied from fairy tales for toddlers, texts teaching Spanish and even the entire Harry Potter series.

"These kids need these things — for social interaction and hygiene," said Edie Onines, a humanitarian specialist at the church, who called the response overwhelming. "In this economy, there are so many people who can't afford to give money, so we wanted to put something together where everyone could participate — so we decided to collect new and gently-used books."

"When kids are forced out of their homes, they often don't get to take anything with them," Onines added. "Our congregations wanted to do something about that, and, we thought, literacy is so important."

Editor's note: The congregations that donated were from San Rafael, Novato, Petaluma and Rohnert Park. Veith said the books will go to kids from Petaluma's Mary Isaak Center and Rohnert Park's shared housing programs.