Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who contributed to the Impact Summer Reading Fund this spring. You helped put books in students’ hands this summer.

The Post launched the fund drive in May after learning a summer reading program for middle and high school students was on a list of needs Superintendent Dr. Lynn Moody had compiled for the school system. In the Post’s opinion, literacy is essential to building a strong community — not to mention an able workforce — and raising funds to boost literacy seemed every bit as worthy to us as raising money at Christmas time to give gifts to children. So the Post asked the public for donations and published their names and tributes in the paper, much as we have done for the Christmas Happiness Fund for more than 50 years.

Food Lion co-founder Ralph Ketner got the Impact Summer Reading Fund started last month with his gift of $15,000, and philanthropist Fred Stanback helped us reach the $76,000 goal with an “angel” gift last week of $46,000. We are very grateful for their generosity.

In between, about 80 individuals, families, foundations, clubs and businesses sent checks to the Impact Summer Reading Fund. We are grateful for every penny. Each check proved that people in Salisbury-Rowan support the schools’ push to fight summer learning loss by going above and beyond what government funds could do.

Contributors also sent notes about how important reading had been to them as children, or paid tribute to people special to them who love to read. The push to enable more children to enjoy books tapped deep feelings of love, nostalgia and appreciation.

The Rowan-Salisbury system is in a challenging position. Poverty has spiked in the community over the past decade, disproportionately affecting children. When poverty rises, student test scores invariably fall. Moody and her leadership team are trying to turn that around, defy the laws of test-score gravity and get student achievement on an upward trend. That calls for extraordinary measures.

A lot has been going on in the schools toward that goal — a new literacy framework, digital devices for students and more. The summer reading program could help keep some of that momentum going and fight the summer slide.

Putting books in students’ hands is no guarantee that they will read the books and keep up their skills. But giving all students the same access is critical. And encouraging them with summer activities centered on those books should help.

Thank you again, donors, for showing your concern, care and commitment with your support of the Impact Summer Reading Fund.