HOWARD TOWNSHIP — The first of a series of pop-up libraries drew many Niles Community Schools families Tuesday to Howard Township’s Shotley Park, filling up its parking lot.

It was the first of 13 summer pop-up library events hosted by Niles Community Schools. Each pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade student attending the event received a free book of their choice and a free lunch.

The program, funded by grants given by the United Way of Southwest Michigan, seeks to reduce summer reading loss, which NCS staff said happens often when school lets out.

Cody Armstrong, Ring Lardner Middle School English teacher and member of the district’s Reading Task Force Committee, said the turnout goal for the program is simple.

“It’s just more kids and more opportunities,” he said.

This is the second year that NCS has hosted the program. Additional United Way funding brought the number of summer events from six to 13, Armstrong said.

He said that the task force worked with Scholastic Corporation to determine which books were best for NCS students of various reading levels. These books were organized by reading level and placed in crates.

The crates were overseen by student volunteers at the event. Families would be directed to storage units corresponding to the preferred reading level, and volunteers would help children choose a book that interested them.

Niles High School incoming senior Skyler Brawley has helped at NCS’s pop-up libraries before. She finds children’s reactions the best part of the volunteer experience.

“The excitement of some kids. Like, ‘Oh wow, look at these books!”’ she said, mimicking a child’s response to the event.

After finding a book, students were offered a meal through Meet Up & Eat Up, a state of Michigan food security program. Tuesday’s meal was a turkey sandwich, chips, carrots and chocolate milk.

The next pop-up library will take place from noon to 12:30 p.m. next Tuesday at the Niles District Library on E. Main Street in Niles. The program will culminate in all-district family back-to-school kick-off Aug. 21 at Viking Stadium.