Fulfillment

It is important for Cat Tales boxes to be eye catching and intriguing to kids when they're placed in classrooms. The orange color of Cat Tales boxes is helpful to this task, but the orange color is also a reference to Monroe High School colors. The materials needed to create a Cat Tales box include orange butcher paper, scissors, tape, and a Cat Tales sticker. Remember that the box does not have to look perfect!

1. A used Girl Scout cookie case makes a great size for a book box, so cut off the flaps on one end of the box to make it easier to wrap.

2. Measure how much butcher paper you will need to cover the box and make sure to leave a little extra paper to fold over the sides.

3. Cut the paper diagonally.

4. Fold over the shorter end of the box first, use tape to secure it.

5. Repeat with the longer sides.

6. Apply a Cat Tales sticker to the front and center of the box!

A major goal for Cat Tales to continue the program is to create a committee of volunteers. These volunteers will carry out the steps to keep Cat Tales running and ensure that it is not a one person job. This group is composed of volunteers from community organizations who are willing to dedicate their time to a step in the Cat Tales process.

By having volunteers to work these specific roles, Cat Tales will be able to operate efficiently and at a faster pace than if one person was doing the entire job.

To make Cat Tales a sustainable project, this group of volunteers will pass on knowledge and information about the program to new volunteers when necessary.

Once orders have been collected and Cat Tales boxes are created, it's time to fill the orders. Using the teacher sign up sheets, try to choose a selection of books that fits the teacher's needs and presents a variety of books to a classroom. Ideally boxes have about 10 to 15 books to deliver.

Next, you can contact teachers to set up a time to deliver boxes. Right after school is a good time while teachers are still in the classrooms but kids are no longer there. When meeting with the teacher, it's good to remind them of the purpose of Cat Tales and build enthusiasm. Remind teachers that the books are free for kids to keep as their own! Teachers are also free to keep books for their own classroom library or add books from the classroom library to the Cat Tales box so that they will be sent to another class.

Depending on volunteer availability, the boxes can be refreshed around every six weeks to maintain a rotating selection of books. This time frame can be dependent on the classroom need and teacher demand.