UPSHUR COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - Harmony ISD has received two book vending machines, one for the elementary school and one for the intermediate school.

Katy Hall, President of Harmony PTO, said the vending machines came about after large amounts of fundraising to get them. At the elementary school, every child will get the chance to get a book from the machine on their birthday. At the intermediate school, the ability to receive a book will be based off positive attributions students give in class.

“Its really cool to give kids the opportunity to have a book at home that’s there’s, that they get to have ownership in and get to read it over and over and over again and relive those characters and its just special,” Hall said.

The machines are also being sponsored by Credit Union of Texas. The sponsorship will cover the cost of replacing books in the machines.

“At Credit Union of Texas, we have a saying that the community is the heartbeat of our company and to be able to give back in this manner is paramount because your not just talking the talk your walking the walk, and to be able to have an impact on kids for years to come is really pretty cool,” said Barry Smith, President of Credit Union of Texas.

Smith said the sponsorship of the machines came about in Fall 2021 and it will be an ongoing commitment.

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