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Manchester School's Need For Books Goes Viral

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- When Sheila May-Stein first arrived at Manchester School in Pittsburgh, she was blown away by what the school didn't have – books.

For years, the library at the school dwindled and there was no funding to save it.

"I took a picture because I was so upset, I just couldn't believe it," she said. "I came home and I put it on Facebook and said, 'This is what happens when people don't make education a priority.'"

And that snapshot posted on Facebook and forwarded to a friend who is a blogger has really gone viral.

"I come in in the morning, and I'll at least go down there twice a day and bring books up on a dolly, so, I'm bringing 100, 170 books up every day," Wallace Sapp, with the Manchester School, said.

In the week since Sheila May-Stein posted the picture, more than 800 books have been purchased and sent directly to the school.

Others in the community have dropped off donations at the school and now the books are really stacking up.

"It's been a week and we have a mountain of books already and more are pouring in," Manchester Principal Theresa Cherry said. "The rapid growth of it – I know why they call it viral now because I've never seen anything spread so quickly."

Even several big-names are retweeting and promoting help for the school's library, including actress Allison Pill from HBO's "The Newsroom."

"It's an amazing story of people who really care for children that they have never met," Cherry said.

Officials at Manchester hope to sort and get those books in place soon so they can reopen a new and improved library for the students.

"I still really feel overwhelmed," May-Stein said. "I mean, I know that people are good at heart, but I never really realized how good at heart they are."

If you would like to help, visit the school's wish list on Amazon.com.

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