GENESEE COUNTY, MI – A pair of Flint organizations have been told a program that has put thousands of free books into the hands of area children is on an indefinite pause.

In a letter to families, Jessica Kitchner, director of the Flint & Genesee Literacy Network, said the organization and Mott Community College “have received notification that the availability of federal funding to support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL) in Genesee County will end on August 30, 2025.”

Kitchner notes the program will be “paused indefinitely” beginning on Monday, Sept. 1.

While she called the news “deeply disappointing,” Kitchner also celebrated the “positive impact the program has had on children and families across the country.”

The program, which started in 2016, and expanded countywide i

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