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The first thing people think of when they hear the word “vending machine” is usually a large machine stocked full of soda or snacks, usually tucked away at the edge of a room or in a hallway. But Spring Creek Charter Academy has recently received a very unusual vending machine: one stuffed full of books.

The school received this odd book vending machine as part of a grant program offered by the State Charter Schools Foundation. According to Foundation president Michele Neely, nine schools applied for the grant, and of those only two were chosen as recipients.

According to SCCA teacher Adrian Parker, the school applied roughly a month ago. “We don’t have a library at our school because we’re not in a brick and mortar building yet, and so part of our ways to getting kids books in their hands is hopefully by doing this,” she said.

The machine doesn’t take real money; rather, it takes special coins that students can earn. “We have these things called design principles,” Parker explained, “and every six weeks they discuss a design principle such as diversity and inclusion, compassion, success and failure, different ways to grow and better citizens.”

“The State Charter Schools Foundation is committed to supporting our schools, and we are really excited to promote a love for reading,” Neely said. “Knowing how important it is for our children to achieve literacy by 3^rd grade, we are gonna continue to have more activities and programs to support reading in our schools.”

Parker expressed joy at the acquisition, saying, “We’re super excited to be one of the first schools to have it, and we are so thankful.”