Bruce and Jacob Davis, from Davis Exterior Contracting, stand with the little library/pantry they built for Love Elementary School’s neighborhood.

Love Elementary School community members will spot a new “building” in front of the school thanks to School Social Worker, Cassie Farrell, who works for the Family Service of the Chautauqua Region. The “little” library is for neighborhood families to receive books and pantry items.

“I started collecting books for the kids at Love and saw how much they appreciated it and kept coming back for more,” said Mrs. Farrell. “I saw the little libraries around town and the county and thought what a better place to put it than Love School.”

She brought the idea to her dad, Bruce Davis, a few weeks ago and he started on the project right away in his spare time. Her dad, and brother Jacob, run Davis Exterior Contracting and built the little library/pantry for Cassie’s Christmas present. The school plans to start with books but also add some pantry items such as: personal hygiene, sanitizer and canned goods – all distributed in a safe way due to COVID-19.

“My brother and dad are incredibly talented and creative and they did an amazing job building the little library in under two weeks,” Said Mrs. Farrell. “One of the core ethical principles of social work is working to advance social and economic justice, this is very important to the work I do. We need to improve and support our communities. I feel strongly about doing anything I can to help move toward this. Creating a space to provide free books as well as other items to the community is a small step in this direction. Additionally, since COVID our libraries have limited capacities, there is more of a need for accessible books than ever before. Part of being a social worker is being a connector, a go between and a facilitator. I have seen the needs and potential at Love and brought my ideas to my family who have skills to build a little library. To me, Christmas is about giving and the students at Love give me the gift of their presence, humor, play, creativity, and wonder every day. I wanted to give something back.”

Mrs. Farrell loves working at Love School.

“I like working with genuine people: both staff and students. The people at Love are amazing. I love that I can bring my ideas and thoughts to the administration and leadership team and they are excited about implementing them. It’s a great fit for me. The folks at Love support me in my light up shoes and crazy outfits for spirit week. We have a great, loving, caring, real crew at Love. I am so grateful to be here.”