By Amy Reid, Surrey Now January 18, 2011

Cathy Jesson, the owner of Black Bond Books, is teaming up with food banks in a project called Feed the Mind. Donated books – new and old – are collected and distributed to children in need through the food banks in municipalities throughout the Lower Mainland where Black Bond has locations, including here on the Peninsula.
Photograph by: Lisa King, For the Now SURREY – A book can do many things for a child.

It can be an educational tool, it can provide comfort and it can help parents and their children bond.



But for some children, books may not be a huge part of their day-to-day life. And Cathy Jesson, owner of Black Bond Books, wants to change that.

Through the Feed the Mind program, her company and customers provide new and gently-used books to local food banks in cities where her stores are located.

Food bank users are able to take books for free when they come in to receive other goods.

Jesson first started the program after hearing about the idea. There was a woman who had a bookstore in Richmond who passed away from cancer who had a program like this: She gave books to food banks to pass onto their users.

Jesson heard about what she had done from someone who attended her memorial.

“I just thought that it was a really good program that she had. It was something that we could do in our areas to give back a bit.”

The program has been going for about eight years now.

Jesson’s South Surrey stores have the Feed the Mind program set up with the Sources White Rock South Surrey Food Bank.

They have programs set up in other areas as well, such as Maple Ridge and Richmond.

“How it works is we provide a bookcase that we put into the food bank and then we do our best to keep it filled with kids books.

“The books are free to moms and dads or kids that are visiting the food bank. They can help themselves and take them away.”

Since she started the program, they’ve given away thousands of books.

Jesson asks her customers for help as well.

“Where we can get the support of our customers, that’s helpful too. They bring in books as their kids outgrow them.”

She just asks that they only bring in gently-used books.

“The idea is to give them a nice book, not an old book, because that’s no fun. That’s not what we wanted to do.”

She said she currently has a couple of bags of books outside her room that were donated recently – waiting for her to deliver them to the bookcase.

“After Christmas, many people have cleaned out their house. We all look at our wardrobes and everything this time of year.”

She said it’s a good time for people to go through their belongings and think about what they can give back.

Jesson also asks for help from her suppliers by telling them what she is doing.

“They try to help, too.”

She said the books go quickly, but that just shows the need is there.

“Just having your own book is a great thing,” she said.

“When I think of my own kids, I think about how they would get fixated on one book and want you to read that book over and over again, so they were always blessed with lots of books and for them it made a big difference.”

She said she suspects many people using the food bank might not have time to go to the library.

“If the book is in the home, then maybe there will be a little bit of time for somebody to read it.

“It makes it easier. Because making the trek to the library, when you’re just in a situation where you’re just trying to get through the day-to-day stuff, I can imagine it’s pretty challenging.”

She said there are many benefits to children reading books, and parents reading books to their children.

“Reading to your kids and just taking those five minutes and reading them a story before they go to sleep or whatever, there’s so many good things that can do: It’s calming, it’s a whole manner of positive things.

“And feeling like books are part of their life is a big positive.”

If you wish to participate in the program, drop off gently-used books to Black Bond Books in South Surrey at 1-15562 24th Ave. or in Semiahmoo Mall at 134-1711 152nd St.
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