Between Belvedere Avenue and Clearspring road, about one block way from Belvedere Square Market, there’s a bus stop unlike any in the city. This is not only a spot to catch the Maryland Public Transit (MTA) Line number, 30 uptown. It’s a place where books, food and school supplies are free to anyone, no questions asked. The appearance of the bus stop alone will grab any pedestrians or bus rider’s attention. Inside two clear plastic greenhouse tents are shelves with rows of books. These books cover a multitude of subjects including fiction, autobiographies, religion and children’s stories, just to name a few. There is a bench to sit inside of the tent’s greenhouse, where previously there was no place for passengers to rest their feet.
In front of the bench, there are free snacks of fresh baked muffins in a glass case. Outside of the tent on the sidewalk are short, simple, messages written in different colors of chalk stating “please take a free books,” and “you are loved.”
Jessica Brand came up with the idea for making changes to the bus stop about 5 years ago.
“I had an accident. And I came from the hospital. I was recovering at my mom’s house and I looked out the back window in a snowstorm. I saw somebody in scrubs standing at the bus stop in the road. The cars were going by and splashing them…”
Brand couldn’t bare the sight of anyone having to withstand the harsh elements of the winter cold waiting for the bus.
“So as soon as I got well, I came down and I dug out part of the hill…then I put the tree stumps there, so they’d have somewhere to sit.”
From then, the bus stop has grown into two greenhouses of books complete with solar panels for light, a garden of vegetables including cabbage, brussels sprouts, tomato, corn, squash and eggplant. A place to disposed trash and waste items, a box for toiletries, a bin for school supplies, and multiple places for sitting and hiding away from rain. She also, works to constantly to get keep the bus stop clean.
“I come down every day. I clean everything. I pick up all the trash…I restock all the books… I put out new books almost every day.”
It’s not always smooth sailing, when it comes to maintaining the bus stop. Nearly every day, the structures on the bus stop get destroyed or stolen.
“Every time it’s destroyed you have to fight back and do a little bit more. [I] Say a prayer for whoever is doing it, because whoever is doing it is not a happy person and probably that’s the one person who needs to be loved on the most.”
There’s one thing keeping Brand motivated: people from the community, who encourage her to never quit. These are friendly strangers, who consistently thank her for what she’s done for the community. Although, destruction of the bus stop happens often, Brand says, if she can help at least one person, the work she has done is worthwhile.
“I’ve had quite a few people tell me they had never read a book before. This one guy told me the other day he read 9 books from the bus stop and he’s never read a book before in his life. So, it’s providing a resource for people that wouldn’t go to a library and wouldn’t go looking for a book.”
David Winkler, a citizen of Baltimore, often reads books from this bus stop. He believes there should be more places like this in the city.”
“You come in get a random book and next thing you know you learned about something you never thought you’d know.” Winkler adds with a smile “it opens people’s minds up to the possibilities of life.”
Brand is not a part of any charity or association. She is an everyday citizen, who wants to do her part to show love to the People of Baltimore city. She believes people need to know someone in this word cares.
“I want the people passing through to feel good and to feel welcome…. We love our neighborhoods.”
This unique bus stop is a safe haven and a resource for people traveling through Baltimore city. A creative idea proves one person can have an effect on community and individuals heart.
Between Belvedere Avenue and Clearspring road, about one block way from Belvedere Square Market, there’s a bus stop unlike any in the city.