Whitley County and Abilene Libraries Receive $10,000 Slice of Literacy Grants

Whitley County Public Library and Abilene Public Library each received $10,000 Slice of Literacy Grants from the Pizza Hut Foundation, the foundation’s biannual program tied to the Book It!® reading initiative. Whitley County’s award was announced Feb. 19, 2026, while Abilene’s release lays out how its funds will be spent and includes a statement from a staff member.

Abilene Public Library in Abilene, Kansas, said the $10,000 award will support expansion of local literacy programs through the Pizza Hut Book It!® reading program. The library listed planned uses that include "addition resources in the Children’s Library," Bilingual Story Time, Yoto Players and Audio Books, After School Program Visits, and Lego Club supplies. The release quotes Jamie Ely, Children’s Librarian of Abilene Public Library: “We’re honored to receive this generous grant from the Pizza Hut Foundation,” said Ely. “This support will allow us to impact even more members of our community and spark a lifelong love of reading. We’re grateful for the partnership and excited about what’s ahead.”

Abilene’s release reiterates program-level language that the Pizza Hut Foundation’s Slice of Literacy Grant Program supports nonprofits located within 15 miles of a Pizza Hut restaurant that are actively working to improve literacy outcomes in their communities. The release also describes the Book It!® program as having "inspired generations of young readers for over 40 years" and says the program continues through customer donations and community partnerships. The Abilene Public Library lists its contact information as 209 NW 4th, Abilene, Kansas 67410, phone (785) 263-3082.

The Pizza Hut Foundation program is described in the Whitley County announcement as biannual and as funding local literacy projects tied to Book It!®. Whitley County’s item, however, ends mid-sentence at "The grant chec", and the release does not include details on how the library plans to allocate the $10,000, who at the library will manage the funds, or contact information. The truncated text leaves Whitley County’s local implementation and timeline unclear.

Both notices demonstrate the foundation’s stated aim to funnel support into community reading initiatives, but the records provided differ in transparency: Abilene’s release provides a budgetary outline and a named librarian comment, while Whitley County’s announcement offers only the award amount, program name, and the Feb. 19, 2026 announcement line followed by the truncated fragment. Together the items show two local libraries awarded $10,000 Slice of Literacy Grants, with Abilene scheduling specific purchases and programming and Whitley County pending further detail on its rollout.