Students and staff excited as book vending machine installed at Hubbard Elementary School

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Students and staff at a local elementary school, full of kids that don’t own a book of their own, cheered as a new book vending machine was unveiled thanks to a grant from the district’s new education foundation.

Hubbard Elementary unveiled the “Jag Book Stop” after the Hubbard Education Foundation gifted the $10,000 machine to the school.

Leeann Ivy is a reading interventionist at the elementary school and a board member of the foundation.

She was thrilled with the student’s response to the free books.

“The kids were crazy excited,” Ivy said. “Many children don’t own a book of their own.”

The grant was written by fourth grader Hubbard teacher Tina Baker who said every child deserves to own their own book.

The books include everything from one on Martin Luther King, Jr., to Marvel, Disney and Dr. Suess books.

“This grant is so important to me because it gives us an opportunity, us being Hubbard Elementary School, to continue building a huge culture of reading,” Baker said.

The students will earn tokens to get the books through meeting reading, academic and behavioral goals.

Mrs. Baker said it was important to her to make the enjoyment of reading within reach for everyone.

“I wrote the grant for two purposes,” Baker said. " I wanted to be able to celebrate and encourage students to read more but I also wanted to give them the opportunity to spark a lifelong love of reading, one book at a time."

The Hubbard Education Foundation was just founded last year and has already dolled out over $43,000.

The gifts include the vending machine, interactive white boards and professional scholarships.

The foundation is getting ready to start applications for year two.