PROVIDENCE – Beacon Bank has collected more than 8,200 children’s books in Rhode Island as part of its annual drive supporting childhood literacy, the bank recently announced.
The effort, now in its 16th year in partnership with Books Are Wings, is among the nonprofit’s largest book drives and will help supply free books to children across the state.
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“This book drive is something our employees look forward to supporting every year and is a powerful example of what can happen when a community comes together to truly make a difference,” said William C. Tsonos, president of the bank’s Rhode Island region. “By increasing access to books, we’re helping children build skills that will support them far beyond the classroom.”
This year’s drive ran from March 9 through April 3 and included collection sites at 23 bank branches statewide.
All donated books will support Books Are Wings programs, including Books All Year, the Read to 100 Challenge and Tale Mail, which focus on communities in Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket.
The books will also be distributed at school-based Books at Recess events ahead of summer break, when many students lose access to reading materials.
Jennifer Smith, executive director of Books Are Wings, said the drive is one of the nonprofit’s most significant events of the year.
“These books come just in time to distribute them at our Books at Recess school events where we fill students’ backpacks with books before summer break when many students lose access to books,” she said.
The bank said the initiative reflects ongoing efforts to expand access to books and support early literacy development, while the nonprofit noted the donations arrive at a critical time for students.
The bank, formerly known as Bank Rhode Island, or BankRI, rebranded as Beacon Bank in early 2026 following the consolidation of Brookline Bancorp’s banking divisions, including Bank Rhode Island, under a single regional brand.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
