Shawnee County Children’s Book Corner and Supply Closet

by Jessica Glendening, Shawnee County Public Defender

As public defender offices we do a lot of work to help our clients with their legal issues.  But in Shawnee County we have started two other initiatives to help our clients with broader issues.  We gather supplies for clients in need, like snacks, hygiene products, blankets and warm clothing items, and we also have a book corner with books for clients to take for their children.  

Both projects started out informally.  Our book corner initially started with people bringing in books that their kids had outgrown. We placed a sign on a bookcase telling clients the books were free to take.  Over time, it has grown significantly.  Our senior administrative assistant, Isaiah Roby, has partnered with our local library to get additional books for our book corner and added information about the public library and a coloring station for children in the waiting area.  He also gives information to clients who come in with children about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, where they can get free books delivered to them, and has helped sign people up for the program while they are in the office.  Isaiah has done a ton of work on this project and has graciously agreed to share information about what he has done in our office with other offices. The Dolly Parton program is also pretty amazing and you can get information about it here. 

Our client supply cabinets also started out informally when we had a client in the office who asked if we had any food.  We didn’t, and there was a frantic search for anyone who had snacks in their office so we could cobble together a few things.  After that we started gathering items to keep on hand for clients in need.  Isaiah has organized everything we have gathered in file cabinets in his office.  He keeps track of when we run low on things, and he has worked with outside groups to get snacks and items for our supplies. We try to keep some coats, gloves, hats, and sweat pants and shirts on hand for colder weather, as well.  

In addition to the supply closet and library, we provide information on our bulletin board in the lobby about local community resources that may be beneficial to clients, like food banks and affordable medical care.  Our legal assistant, Mary Kennedy, updates the information and makes sure it is available for clients.  She also keeps the attorneys informed about local programs that might benefit our clients.  

These resources are ways to support our clients in their lives outside our legal representation.  They recognize that our clients are whole people with lives beyond their legal troubles.  I feel very fortunate that a number of folks in our office have taken these small projects and expanded them to make our office more welcoming for the people we serve.