NMCC collects over 7,750 books
for distribution during parade
PRESQUE ISLE — Northern Maine Community College students and employees continued their tradition of helping to brighten and enrich the lives of area children through what has become a signature community service activity during the holiday season.
MORE THAN 30 NMCC students, employees and their families walked beside the NMCC 
float and handed out thousands of books to children during Presque Isle’s Holiday Light Parade Dec. 1.
This was the ninth year NMCC distributed used books to children during Presque Isle’s annual Holiday Light Parade. The college collected more books than ever this year, due in great part to a large quantity of books donated earlier this year by the Patrick Theriault School in Sinclair after it closed, as well as a large donation of books from Catholic Charities the week prior to the Dec. 1 parade.
The book donation initiative evolved both as an idea to give away something that had a connection to the nature of the college and what it offers the community, as well as a way to provide area children with something to benefit them. NMCC instructor Colleen Harmon works annually with a number of volunteers, as well as her students to clean and sort books in preparation for the parade.
“This year’s effort was a great success. We had a wonderful turnout, and it was a very positive collaboration between everyone who came together for the project,” said Sue Bernard, dean of development and college relations. “We couldn’t do an event such as this without a lot of help — from those generous organizations and individuals who donated books, from students and employees who helped with the books and the float either ahead of time or at the parade, to Central Aroostook ARC, which generously allowed us to use one of their buses to transport the books during the parade and Star City IGA for letting us borrow several of their grocery carts to help distribute the books.”
NMCC volunteers distributed the majority of the 7,750 books to youth lined along both sides of Main Street during the Holiday Light Parade. Several boxes of books were left over to start next year’s collection efforts.
