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The Andalusia Public Library’s “Kids Helping Kids” for children in Ukraine was a big hit with 512 coloring books, 440 packs of crayons, and 1,260 pairs of socks donated.

“The children of our library and Covington County came together in a show of concern for the misplaced children of Ukraine. Throughout the month of March, children came into the library with their crayons, coloring books, and socks to donate. These were tangible items they were able to identify with that could be given to help other boys and girls around the world. Items were shipped to sister libraries in Poland that are housing Ukrainian refugees. That means the library on the other side of the world received items from our small library in south Alabama. How cool is that? Emails and letters were sent before the packages. Translating letters from English into Polish or Ukrainian was something I’ve never done before,” Children’s Librarian Caryl Lee Ray said.

Ray added that mothers always try to bring calm into their children’s world, but that is not always the case. “When that world is at war and our children are scared, sometimes we feel like we are holding on by a string. Our hope is that these items will bring a little bit of normal to their otherwise upside-down world.”

The APL staff finished packing and mailing boxes last week.

“I was overwhelmed with the generosity of our community and have five sons myself, so the thought of helping others is very real to me. These Ukrainian children are innocent bystanders. Their homes, schools, and families have been disrupted, and it’s heartbreaking. I want to thank the parents, grandparents, children, schools, churches, friends, and so many more that collected items. The city of Andalusia has a big heart for others in need. Each package was prayed over before it was sent with prayers for safety and peace,” she said.

The Andalusia Public Library is located at 212 South Three Notch Street and is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information email library@cityofandalusia.com or call 334-222-6612.