Target employee Cassie Cantu reads to Kindred Elementary School pre-kindergarten students as part of the store’s donation and outreach to the school. Courtesy photo

Special to the Southside Reporter

Kindred Elementary School recently received a $500 donation from a Target department store located off S.W. Military Drive. The donation helped the school purchase about 1,000 books for its library.

“We wanted to do something to help close to our store,” said Michelle Cruz, executive for human resources and a graduate of the South San Antonio Independent School District, where Kindred is located. “We based it on low-income families in the area and Kindred Elementary had the highest percentage.”

Store employees were on hand read some of the new books to Kindred students.

They also decorated the library, helped sort the books and eventually placed them on the shelves.

In addition to the books, the store also donated school supplies and backpacks that will be used as incentives for top readers in the school’s Accelerated Reader program.