For those of us to whom books and reading are a major part of our life, it is almost hard to believe that there are people who do not have much or any access to books.  It is especially frustrating to think of children who do not have books.  My 5 year old’s room is chock full of books and he regularly gets additional books from the library.

I found an article on the Internet about the Golden K Kiwanis Club in Greeley, Colorado who has made it their mission to provide books to first graders at East Memorial Elementary School in Greeley in celebration of International Children’s Book Day.  Read about this great project in The Tribune newspaper.  It is a great idea and a good way for organizations to get involved in helping kids get books.  I am sure many other groups have undertaken similar projects.

There is a great organization, called First Book, which is a non -profit with a “single mission.  That is to give children from low income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books”.  First Book “provides an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs”.  Since 1992, when the organization was founded, First Book has distributed more than 50 million books to children in over 3000 communities around the country.  You can get involved in several ways.  One of the easiest ways is to make a monetary donation.  A donation as small as $10.00 provides a first time reader with 4 new books of their own.

Obviously there are many ways to get books to children ( and adults alike ).  If you are looking for a simple way to get rid of some books that you are no longer using, take them to your local thrift stores.  Many, many lower income people buy their books at drastically reduced prices at their local thrift stores.  And you can get a tax deduction for donating the books.

The important thing is to get books in the hands of potential readers.  As you and I know, there is a whole world of EVERYTHING in books.  Get involved in helping people get books!  It will open all kinds of new adventures for them.