During the few hours of clear skies on Saturday, families stopped by Knead Community Cafe in New Kensington to pick up a free lunch, coloring books, journals and other treats at the Easter Grab n’ Go.
Six-year-old Hunter Karafa took a moment to sort through this bag of goodies — candy, bubble gum, pencils and crayons. His sister Hannah, 8, noticed the bookmark.
“Oh, I need bookmarks,” she said. “I have too many books.”
This is the second year of the event, which is meant to encourage kids to read, said Lillie Leonardi, founder of Books Build Bridges, a New Kensington-based nonprofit that launched in 2017. She also runs the affiliated literary services and audio production business Passages & Prose.
In 2021, Books Bridge Hope started the “Box of Goodness” project. The goal was to collect books, journals, writing supplies, gloves, hats, socks and other items for people without homes. Books Bridge Hope works with organizations like the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and UPMC Mercy’s Operation Safety Net to distribute the boxes to people in need. The organization also collects backpacks for schoolchildren.
For Jessica Preves-Taranovsy, the event was a chance to get her kids, nieces and nephews some sunshine. She said they often go to the summer movies and grab-and-go dinners that are sponsored by the cafe.
“I want to get them to play outside and get some fresh air before the storms come in,” she said.
Christian Fyke, general manager, said Knead made 100 bagged lunches for the kids. Any extra lunches would be donated to a senior high rise in town.
“We were able to provide the space, but they really led the charge with how it’s done and bringing the kids. From our end, we provided the meal, a separate bagged lunch with a turkey sandwich.”
“We do what we can to be part of a vibrant community,” he said. Knead is a pay-what-you-can restaurant that opened near Barnes and 10th Street in 2017.
Other supporters of the Easter event were the Alle-Kiski Hope Center, Child Health Association of Sewickley, Cribs for Kids, Cuddles for Kids, Penn State New Kensington, The Corner, The Digital Foundry, the Salvation Army of New Kensington, Westmoreland Community Action, The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania and WQED.
Jada Powell, who is Leonardi’s granddaughter, brought along her two children 9-month-old Milani and 2-year-old Malcolm, who was giggling and zipping through the grass.
“This is something for kids and for our community,” Powell said. “It’s to bring our community closer together.”
Stephanie Ritenbaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Stephanie at sritenbaugh@triblive.com.
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April 02, 2023 at 04:01PM
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Easter Grab n' Go returns to Knead Community Cafe - TribLIVE
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