Cook Inlet & Kraft Cook Up a Recipe for Kids

Anchorage, Alaska's Cook Inlet Book Company recently partnered with Kraft Foods to donate $50,000 worth of books to public and private school libraries throughout Anchorage. Schools that participated in the "Shop for Literacy" program by gathering Kraft proof-of-purchase labels won a percentage of the $50,000 book credit redeemable at Cook Inlet.

Left to Right: Rebecca O'Hara, president, Anchorage Council of PTAs; Lynn Dixon, owner, Cook Inlet Book Company; Theodore "Mac" McNamara, Kraft Foods; Carol Comeau, superintendent, Anchorage School District. Photo courtesy Lynn McNamara, Librarian Polaris K-12 School

The catalyst for the program was a discussion during a PTA meeting where an Anchorage school librarian complained about the shortage of books. At the meeting was a public relations contact for Kraft Foods, Theodore "Mac" McNamara, who has a child enrolled in the school. McNamara discussed the issue with Kraft, which then approached Cook Inlet's owner, Lynn Dixon, with a proposal: If Kraft contributed a percentage of the $50,000 worth of books, would she make up the difference? She happily agreed.

The Shop for Literacy program was organized by libraries and PTA groups and involved students from 30 schools. Students gathered Kraft proof-of-purchase labels, and the $50,000 credit was divided among schools according to the number of labels collected. One school, Chugach Optional, won almost $9,000 worth of books after collecting over 2,000 labels in the two-month contest.

Dixon said Anchorage was Alaska's largest city, but it felt more like a small town, and Anchoragites showed a small town's appreciation for the unexpected and needed windfall. "The response was so good, we'll do it again next year," said Dixon, who expects the number of participants to double the next time around. "I'd love to see every school in the district participate. The kids were so appreciative."

The children from one school were so happy they painted a huge thank-you sign that stretched across the front of the Cook Inlet Book Company. "They were very excited and engaged," Dixon said.

Many school librarians are fostering that excitement by including the students in the selection process of the books. "Kids are down here pawing through the kids' section," said Dixon. "They're going through catalogs and making lists. They're very engaged in choosing books. One school is creating bookplates that say 'This book was chosen by ...' with a blank for the student's name."

Dixon said that Cook Inlet benefited tremendously from all the publicity. Kraft advertised heavily in the area and mentioned Cook Inlet Book Company in every ad. Dixon told BTW, "There was incredible public exposure. We're very well known for our Alaska books, but people don't know that we're a general bookstore and that we have a great kids' section. [The exposure] got people past that."

But the real satisfaction came from making so many new books available to the schools, she said. "It was the most exciting thing we've ever been able to do. It was wonderful to be able to give back to the community. Schools are struggling everywhere to find funding so it was great to get that many books into the school libraries. It's all about the kids." -- Karen Schechner