Rock Island Public Library Rolls Out Community Comfort Carts

3 Library staff and 2 City leaders pose behind Community Comfort Cart at city council meeting.

The Rock Island Public Library (RIPL) rolled out the latest phase in its three-year mental health partnership with the City of Rock Island at the Monday, Oct. 28 city council meeting. Mayor Mike Thoms proclaimed Monday, October 28, 2024 as Community Comfort Cart Rollout Day in the City of Rock Island. Library staff displayed an example of the multi-drawer rolling carts, which will be available at each library location. 

"Focusing on improving the community is a core value of the library. This project aligns with our transformative and inclusive goals of our strategic plan,” said Angela Campbell, Rock Island Public Library director. “For more than a century we've been a referral service to those in need. Our Community Comfort Carts are one more way people can begin their search for answers here at the library.” 

Items on the cart are freely available. The carts currently include a mix of light snacks, personal care supplies, sensory and fidget items, mini mental health journals, mental health resource cards and informational articles. Contents will be evaluated and adjusted by library staff as needed.

“The comfort carts are full of items and activities that may help those struggling to get back on track. They’re available to anyone in the community that needs them, without judgment,” said Susan Foster, director of Youth Services, RIPL.

Mental health resources were among the top five priorities in a 2022 community survey for using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. A stakeholder focus group, chaired by Second Ward Alderman Randy Hurt, identified unmet needs, potential partnerships and programs. In May, the Rock Island City Council granted ARPA dollars to the Rock Island Public Library for the purpose of providing mental health resources.

The ARPA-funded project extends beyond comfort carts. 

“For the past six months, our staff have been training on best practices for serving community members who are either living with mental health issues personally, or caring for a loved one with a condition,” said Karrah Kuykendall, director of Adult Services at RIPL. “’To counteract loneliness and isolation, we’re also launching in-depth programming on mental health.” 

Upcoming mental health and wellness programming in November include a Quad City Arts Visiting Artist speaking on mental health and music, a NAMI Friends and Family Seminar and a memory health presentation by Dr. Cathy Rosenbaum. Journaling and motivational flip calendar projects are planned for December, along with the stress-relieving Tuneful Tuesday music series. In 2025, the library will introduce ongoing coffee and conversation meetups to increase connection. 

The mental health partnership first launched during Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Since then, the library has raised awareness with complimentary “Stop the Stigma” wristbands, pins, mental health resource cards and QR code stickers. The mental health resource cards and stickers will continue to be available on the new Comfort Carts. 

Photo: RIPL Youth Services director Susan Foster, Alderman Randy Hurt, Mayor Mike Thoms, RIPL library director Angela Campbell, and Adult Services director Karrah Kuykendall show an example of the Community Comfort Cart at the Oct. 28 City Council meeting.