SARAH Garnett, founder of The Footpath Library, has been named as Great Lakes Council’s Australia Day ambassador.
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The Footpath Library began in 2003 and works as a charity donating books to homeless and disadvantaged people across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – most of whom are children.
The idea began with a single act of kindness by Sarah. Following the untimely death of close friend Benjamin Andrew, Sarah responded to her grief by volunteering with a group providing meals for the homeless in Sydney’s CBD.
One evening, Sarah noticed a man sitting under a streetlight reading a novel while waiting for the food van. On her return every night she started bringing him books and it was from there the Footpath Library was born.
Sarah’s library is different to most other libraries as it isn’t a building or property with a return policy.
Spread across 65 hostels, refuges and community organisations in the three largest Australian cities, the charity gives away over 2,500 books a month with plans to expand all over Australia. There is no other library like it anywhere in the world.
The Footpath Library has transformed the lives of many who had little to live for while going through hard times. People are not only drawn by the promise of books, but also for the chance to socialise with people in the same boat as them.
“I think that’s half the reason why they come,” says Sarah.
“The social interaction is something they look forward to. It gives them a chance to talk to volunteers in a relaxed atmosphere.”
The aim of The Footpath Library is to promote literacy, make books more accessible to homeless and disadvantaged people and change society’s attitudes to these members of our community.
Sarah’s passion for libraries should resonate well with the Great Lakes community if usage of the local library was anything to go by.
The Great Lakes Library Service continues to be amongst the busiest in NSW per head of population.
Last year the central library at Forster with branch libraries at Tea Gardens, Stroud, Bulahdelah and Nabiac received over 150,000 visitors.
It is fitting therefore that Sarah is the Australia Day ambassador for the Great Lakes this year.
The Footpath Library has solid guidelines on what books can be donated and what condition they are in.
They collect donated books from the public and publishers and pass them on to the people in need. If you would like to donate books or money to the Footpath Library go to footpathlibrary.org/donate.
