Kids Need to Read Donates Record $1M Worth of Books

Arizona-based literacy nonprofit Kids Need to Read donated more than $1 million in reading resources to 85,000 children across the United States in 2020. This milestone of support included 63 locations throughout Arizona and is a major move for Kids Need to Read on its mission to promote literacy in underprivileged youth.

“Kids Need to Read is honored to be a part of the solution to illiteracy in our country,” said executive director Jessica Payne. “There is no better feeling than knowing we are helping to bring the joy of reading and the power of a literate mind to the children we serve.”

The Page Coach, Kids Need to Read’s mobile outreach unit providing literary treasure to disadvantaged children, distributes inspiring books and literacy programming at a diverse array of schools, libraries and literacy events in low socioeconomic communities throughout Arizona. In April 2020, the nonprofit shifted its Page Coach programming from on-site events to creating Family Read Together Bags, which contained enough resources so that every member of the family received an incentive to start a reading habit. In this way, students continued to have access to books and encouragement to read while isolating themselves at home for the remainder of the school year. Beyond COVID-19 relief work, The Page Coach will continue its appealing approach to helping children discover the joy of reading and the power of a literate mind.

“I am stunned by the generosity and care of Kids Need to Read,” said Jo Ann Hallstrom, resource center specialist at Roosevelt Elementary School in Mesa. “The library books we received were obviously chosen for our school with great care, as were the COVID relief book bags given out to our students. We cannot thank Kids Need to Read enough for helping our young people get the encouragement and TLC they needed during these troubled times.”

To learn more, visit kidsneedtoread.org.