Book Vending Machines for Children

A vending machine with books is the first program like this to date in America, and hopes to be used as a way to offer education to underprivileged children and encourage them to read.

JetBlue Airlines started the program “Soar with reading” 5 years ago and have just started to implement the vending machines which dispense free books to children. The vending machines are placed in grocery stores, churches and branches of the Salvation Army and at the click of a button, the child can take as many books as they like! There are a wide range of genres of books such as dinosaurs, animals anything you can imagine!

Studies have shown that exposing children to literature from an early age can improve their academia, by allowing all children access to books, the U.S are hoping for a brighter future for children which in turn boosts the future economy, a lot of the children who will have access to these vending machines, are unlikely to have child appropriate reading material at home, therefore giving them the opportunity to further their education and be given opportunities to learn that they may never be given again.

This is currently a pilot program so there are no guarantees of the future of this project or its expansion. There are stores requesting these vending machines and the sponsors are hoping to be able to keep up production to spread these vending machines, across the US first of all and then see how far this project can be expanded, other countries would also benefit from book vending machines as the US is certainly not the only place where children are suffering through poverty and lack of education, it is a worldwide issue. This may only be one small step in a huge scheme of offering education, medical services etc. That previously wouldn’t be able to access that particular area.

While vending machines have always been associated with the catering industry, cold drinks machines or hot drinks vending machines, as per our previous blog post, they people are becoming a lot more creative in how they use them.