United Way collects 13k books

PROVIDENCE – The United Way of Rhode Island’s Women’s Leadership Council, in partnership with Books Are Wings, coordinated a book drive to help close gaps in early childhood literacy that collected 13,000 books in a drive from May 1 through July 31.
“The response to our book drive speaks volumes about the community’s commitment to helping Rhode Island children succeed in school and in life,” said Gertrude Jones, the council chair and vice president of community relations for Lifespan Corporate Services. “It’s unacceptable that two-thirds of low-income families in our country do not have books in their homes.”
The collected books were distributed to the 11 sites of the Back to School Celebration, an annual event that provides children in need with a backpack full of school supplies for the coming academic year and assists 16,000 children across the state.
This year, those children were given the opportunity to select a book of their choice to being building an at-home library.
Books also were distributed through community organizations in Westerly.

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