Blue Springs School District

Students at Cordill-Mason Elementary have a vending machine that offers food for their minds – in the form of free books. The book vending machine is a fun addition to support the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention Support program and commitment to literacy. The machine was made possible through the generosity of donations to the CME Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

The PTA teams up with local business partners to stock the machine with books. Students get to pick a free book on their birthday, including those with holiday break or summer birthdays. 

“This was something that they had been wanting to do for quite some time,” CME Principal Jaclyn Brunk said. “We’ve got chapter books, we’ve got picture books, and we have pretty amazing titles. Anyone who has a birthday that’s celebrated over a break, we will call them on multiple days, so at the end of the year we will call a lot of June birthdays.”

Now in its second year, the machine is expected to distribute more than 700 books this year.