Follett Makes Donation to Students Displaced by California Flooding

McHENRY, Ill., April 12, 2023 – Follett has joined forces with Capstone to donate much-needed school supplies to the children in Pajaro, California who were displaced after their small community was flooded last month. 

The venerable education companies donated and shipped 1,000 books and activities to the students relocated in the wake of the Pajaro River levee break. Pajaro Middle School will remain closed for the rest of the school year due to flood damage.

Britten Follett, CEO, Follett Content Solutions, said “it took a village” to provide help to those in need.

“Through California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond’s office, we were part of a group of companies and individuals who pulled together our resources and expertise to care for families impacted by this tragedy,” she noted.

Follett said the company was proud to team with Capstone and its CEO Randi Economou to make the meaningful donation possible.

“Capstone wanted to lend our support to the Pajaro community in a very intentional way,” Economou said. “With our shared passion of inspiring learning for all children, we’re honored to partner with Britten and the Follett team to put books in the hands of kids and hopefully help bring a sense of comfort and home to them during this difficult time.”

Once the Follett-Capstone collaboration was confirmed, Britten Follett said she immediately rallied employees to determine what could be contributed.

“In 24 hours, we had a pallet of books and some of our ‘Carmen Sandiego Activity Kits’ packed on a truck headed to Northern California,” she said.

Thurmond visited the impacted community in Monterey County in late March and distributed donations, including the school supplies, to affected students and families.

“We know our students and teachers are resilient, and I am sure they will bounce back once again,” Thurmond said in a California Department of Education news release. “But let’s make sure we provide them with the financial, academic, mental, and social-emotional support they need.”

A “Pajaro Strong” Go Fund Me page has been set up by a group of retired Pajaro Middle School educators; all funds collected will go toward providing clothing for impacted students. Donations had passed the $51,000 mark as of April 12.

About Follett School Solutions | follettlearning.com
Follett School Solutions is the largest provider of educational materials and technology solutions to K-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. Follett distributes books, reference materials, digital resources, ebooks and audiovisual materials. It also is one of the leading providers of integrated educational technology for the management of physical and digital assets, the tracking, storing and analyzing of academic data, and digital learning environment tools for the classroom focusing on student achievement. Find Follett on Facebook, and follow on Twitter (@FollettLearning).

About Capstone | capstonepub.com
Capstone is a leading learning company of K-5 digital solutions, children’s books, and literacy programs for school libraries, classrooms, and at home reading including the award-winning PebbleGo™ research database. Capstone has a passion for inspiring learning and intellectual curiosity. The infinite variety of learners deserve books and educational resources that reflect them—their interests, their abilities, their cultures, their communities—and inspire them to be curious and informed about the world around them. As a creator of content for children, Capstone embraces the responsibility to celebrate and share the diverse voices and perspectives of our readers and communities. #LearningIsForEveryone

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Media Contact: Doug Thompson | Thompson Drake Public Relations | cell: 541.419.4471 | doug@thompsondrake.com