Imagine if every child had access to free books and a love of reading...that's the mission behind this Durham non-profit.
. >>> I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHEN I WAS A KID, READING WAS MY MOST IMPORTANT TOUCH STONE FOR SUPPORT, LOVE, IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY, FEELING OKAY. I KNEW HOW IMPORTANT READING WAS TO ME AS A CHILD AS A WAY OF COPING, VOCABULARY, AND IMAGINATION. WHEN MY KIDS WERE GETTING OLDER, IT BOTHERED ME TO KNOW THAT NOT ALL KIDS HAVE ACCESS TO BOOKS. WE BEGAN PROVIDING BOOKS TO KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY AND RECEIVING DONATIONS FOR KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY AT THE SAME TIME. AND FORTUNATELY, IT'S WORKED. WE HAVE NOW PROVIDED MORE THAN 1.4 MILLION BOOKS TO KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. I AM BLOWN AWAY BY ALL OF THE SUPERHEROES IN OUR COMMUNITY. KIDS AND BOOKS TOGETHER MAKES A FANTASTIC COMBINATION. WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE MANY EXISTING AVENUES THAT FAMILIES TURN TO FOR SUPPORT DURING A PANDEMIC. SO WE ARE PIGGY BACKING ON THOSE. AN EXAMPLE IS OUR WELL FED WHILE READ PROGRAM. WHERE EVER THERE ARE FOOD PROGRAMS, WE TRY TO SHOW UP WITH BAGS OF BOOKS. WE HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED GRAB AND GO. ALL DAY WEDNESDAY AND ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO COME TO THE HEADQUARTERS ON UNIVERSITY DRIVE IN DURHAM, PULL UP TO THE CURB, GIVE US A CALL AND TELL US HOW OLD THEIR KIDS ARE. WE WALK OUT A BAG OF AGE APPROPRIATE BOOKS. THEY ARE CULTURALLY DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE, AGE APPROPRIATE, LANGUAGE APPROPRIATE. WE ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE THIS THE NEW NORM IN DURHAM AND HOPEFULLY OTHER COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THERE IS A WAY FOR EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY TO BE A PART OF BOOK HARVEST. IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED DONATING YOUR OWN GENTLY USED BOOKS, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THEM. IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE WEBSITE AND VISIT THE WISH LIST, YOU CAN DONATE LOOKS THROUGH THAT. IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES NOW TO SORT THE BOOKS AND GET THEM READY FOR THE KIDS TO TAKE THEM HOME. YOU CAN RUN A BOOK DRIVE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S SIMPLE. IT'S EASY. SOME OF OUR BEST BOOK CAPTAINS ARE CHILDREN. IF ANYBODY WHO IS INTERESTED IN THIS WANTS TO GET INVOLVED, WE WILL FIND A WAY TO INVOLVE THEM. WE WILL BE SO GRATEFUL. VISIT OUR WEBSITE, BOOKHARVEST
