Paul Elliott, far left, back row, presents a check to Kathleen Dawe of the Shepherdstown Public Library to use towards purchasing children's material about farming and agriculture. The check was presented Sunday, July 24 with locals gathered around. (submitted)

On Sunday, July 24, local producers at the Shepherdstown Farmer’s Market presented the children’s librarians at the Shepherdstown Public Library with a check for $150.

The donation was a continuation of an educational partnership program that the farmer’s market and the library have participated in since 2009. The library uses the money to purchase children’s books about agricultural topics.

Children’s librarian Anne Eden said that a variety of children’s books are purchased with the donation funds.

“We buy fiction and nonfiction books for children on all different age levels,” Eden said. “We have topics from farming, gardening, cooking, worms … anything we can think of that would interest kids.”

The books are marked with a bookplate that shows the month and year they were donated by the Shepherdstown Farmer’s Market.

Children’s librarian Kathleen Dawe attended the donation event on Sunday. Dawe said that she talked to both children who would be reading the new books and farmers at the event.

Dawe said she was surprised at the amount that was donated this year. Last year $100 was donated.

“This year, unbeknownst to me until I got the check upstairs, they gave even more (than in 2010),” Dawe said. “They gave us $150, which was very generous. It allows me to buy videos (in addition to books).”

Dawe said that the partnership between the farmer’s market and the library is similar to the Roots and Shoots program at Shepherdstown Elementary School. In that program, classes at the elementary school care for gardens and learn about seeds, gardening and farming.

Paul Elliott, the secretary of the Shepherdstown Farmer’s Market, said that both the library and the Roots and Shoots program receive donations from the market.

“It’s always the first thing brought up at our meetings – contributions,” Elliott said.

Elliott said that both the program at the library and the Roots and Shoots program are useful because they educate children on how to live sustainably and be good stewards of the earth.

“It’s good for the kids it’s good for the community,” Elliott said. “The kids get to see where things come from and learn about agriculture.”