Hanceville — A welcome upgrade to the Hanceville Public Library's aging on-site kitchen was made possible after the library became the recipient of the latest round of grants from the Alabama Mountains River Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council.
Library Director Shirley Baden said the weekly reading sessions have become one of the library's most popular events, sometimes with as many as 70 to 80 children participating. She said the aging kitchen made it difficult to provide snacks for children and welcomed the renovations made possible by the $7,000 grant.
“Every Wednesday morning, we have story time for the kids and we make snacks, so this is going to be helpful. Some of the different civic groups are going to meet here and use it as well,” Baden said.
The RC&D Council annually awards more than $300,000 to community-focused projects across eight counties: Cullman, DeKalb, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, and Morgan. State Rep. Randall Shedd attended the unveiling of the kitchen Tuesday morning and said he has seen multiple projects completed thanks to RC&D funding.
“They supported many projects in my district and made a huge difference in getting them across the finish line,” Shedd said.
Cherry Haney, one of the 13 board members tasked with choosing which projects to fund each year, said this project was chosen in part because public libraries He said this is because it can have a big impact on rural areas. She also feels a personal affinity for the library, with her children and now grown grandchildren visiting the Hanceville branch, and having given the library multiple grants over the years. He said he was impressed.
“This is a bit of an ongoing project. They've done a lot of different projects in the past, but this is going to enhance what they can do for the kids here in Hanceville,” Haney said.
The library's outdoor reading garden was also funded by an RC&D grant.
Applications for the next round of funding (awarded in October) are currently being accepted until June 30th.
Patrick Camp can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 238
