Do you have enough things in your life? Do you have too many things, or do you need more? How do you know when you have too much? During this season of giving and any time, it might be interesting to consider reducing the amount of stuff you have and consume, and giving it to others. The Power of Half by the father/daughter team of Kevin and Hannah Salwen describes their family's journey from having a lot of stuff that they thought they really needed to their group decision to get rid of a lot of it. They chose as a family to downsize by half and give the proceeds to charity.

The Salwens changed many things about the way the live when one day co-author Hannah Salwen noticed a homeless man looking for food and other help at a busy city intersection and the expensive luxury car that was stopped in front of them. She asked her dad what would happen if the driver in front of them didn't have such a nice car. Would the homeless man then be able to eat? As a result, the family started having weekly, in-depth discussions about what they needed to live comfortably as opposed to what they wanted. Soon the discussions turned to whether they should sell their large house and get rid of a lot of the things in it that they had collected. They soon discovered that much of the stuff that they had invested in was holding them back. They barely missed it at all.

This award-winning video from Hannah's brother, Joseph shows what they gave up and what they gained. It describes the family's desire to help people in a small village in Africa while keeping in mind the homeless man they had seen at the intersection.

It's a very interesting story. While you're reading it, you might want to think about how you could make a significant difference, or even a small difference, by giving back to your community. You don't have to sell your house to help others. Each chapter ends with suggestions from Hannah about activities that families can do together to give back.

You Can Meet Buzz and Woody!

Noon, Wednesday, Feb. 22

King Library, Children's Room

Bring your camera and take a photo with a star from

Disney Pixars Toy Story 3.

Don't forget you can still donate a new children's book to the Partners in Reading Family Literacy Program's Book Drive "Together We Read."  Book drive ends Friday, Feb. 25.

Donate a new book at your local branch library and receive one FREE ticket to Disney on Ice presents Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 3. One ticket per family, while supplies last.

Why donate to the Partners in Reading book drive?

Only 1 out of every 300 children from low-income families own a book.  Help local families start their own home library and create the joy of reading as a family. Reading helps expand imagination, builds knowledge, it's cool, fun and exciting. Most importantly, reading takes you To Infinity ... and Beyond!

Fun Activities for the Family!

Disney on Ice representative will also present a special Make your own Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head!  Storytime/Craft program at three locations.

• Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 11:30 a.m. at  Evergreen Branch Library

• Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 3:30 p.m. at Tully Community Branch Library

• Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 11:30 a.m. at Edenvale Branch Library

Thank you for supporting Partners in Reading's Book Drive!

Second Harvest donation bins at West Valley Branch have been brimming with good things to eat! The West Valley community has been very generous and we appreciate your support. 

Recently, we've received a few items with a very short shelf life (bread, fruit, yogurt, etc.) and these unfortunately spoiled in the bins.  Below is a list of recommended items with a long shelf life, please donate items from the list or similar non-perishable foods.

The Food Bank needs nutritious, non-perishable foods:

• Meals in a can (stew, chili, soup)
• Tuna and canned meat
• Peanut butter
• Canned foods with pop-top lids
• Low-sugar cereals
• 100% fruit juices in single serving boxes
• Canned fruit packed in juice
• Canned vegetables (low salt)

Please avoid donating items packaged in glass. If you find glass items in your barrel, please package them in protective boxes to prevent breakage.
 

We request that you do not donate bulk quantities of rice, flour, or sugar. Although we appreciate and can utilize every donation we receive, the Food Bank does not have the repackaging facilities needed to properly distribute such items. Please contact the Donor Hotline at 1-866-234-3663 for details.

Visit their website for more information:  http://www.shfb.org/home

Did you know that most libraries have donation barrels from Second Harvest Food Bank to collect food for people in need in our communities?

Do you have canned food that you won't be using?  Bring it to one of your local libraries!   

For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank and what they do, click here.

 The Tully Branch Library's  Book Sale takes place generally on every First Monday of the even months except Holidays. Stop by our monthly Book Sale organized our volunteers to help and support teensReach and the Friends of the Tully Community Branch Library. We have children and adult books/CDs/DVDs including fiction, non-fiction, & Vietnamese language . All proceeds will benefit the Tully Community Branch Library. If you have any question, please call Chieu Nguyen at 408-808-3030.  

Volunteers are needed for the event. If you are interested to be a volunteer, please turn in an application.  Teen volunteers can go to our teensReach meeting on every Third Wednesday of the month to participate.

Also check out our other events at Tully Community Branch Library.

San José Public Library is accepting donations of new and/or gently used books for children including board books, picture books, easy readers, chapter books and books for pre-teens, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Books will be given to children at library events this holiday season.

If you would like to donate some children’s books, please bring them to the Evergreen Library. The donation box is located near the check-out machines through mid-December.

Monetary donations can be given through the San José Public Library Foundation with a note designating support for this project. Please stop by the library and be part of the gift of literacy.