Foundation donates book vending machine to DuBois students

CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A special gift was given to students of Oklahoma Elementary School in DuBois by the First Class Children’s Foundation on Wednesday. 

While most vending machines are typically filled with sugary sweets and drinks, this one is filled with books. The intention behind the vending machine is to reward students who spread kindness. 

The First Class Children’s Foundation donated a book vending machine, also called the “Imagination Station” for students. The First Class Children’s Foundation is an organization to creates a better community through various programs designed to captivate children, create positive experiences in school, and inspire literacy, creativity and imagination.

This vending machine was also placed in honor of a special member of the foundation. Sarah Zwick was a member of First Class Children’s Foundation who passed away in September. 

“Sarah was just a really influential person in our area. She gave a lot back to our community and she loved more than anything literacy and she believed in the power of it so much,” First Class Children’s Foundation Founder Matt Reed said. “What we’ve done with this vending machine is we’ve made it in honor of her. We put little wiener dogs all over it to be representative of what she was about. It’s red and bright red just like she always loved. It’s just a way that we can continue to remember her for years to come as kids come here and have a positive experience of school by giving more books into the hands of children.”

First Class Children’s Foundation has put thousands of books into the hands of young readers over the course of time. Zwick played a huge part in doing so. One of the goals of this new book vending machine is to carry on her legacy. 

“I hope that she would be proud of it for sure,” Reed said. “I hope that she would understand that we’re just going to try to carry on her legacy through the stuff that we do in the future. People will realize how great of a person she was, even if she’s no longer with us.”

First Class Children’s Foundation also donates many other items including Imagination Boxes, shoes, clothing, and more to support children in the community.