Children's Book Drive

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Courtesy Madison Reading Project

Mary Devitt of Crossroads Coffee, Cross Plains, offers a donation to Madison Reading Project's Community Book Drive.

press release: Madison Reading Project is launching its third annual Community Book Drive to fill the homes of children with new books this holiday season. With a goal of providing 15,000 new books in December, more than 12,000 children will receive the books via Empty Stocking Club, community partners, schools, and social workers.  

Beginning Nov. 10, Madison Reading Project staff and volunteers will place collection bins at locations across Dane County to make it easy for folks to donate new books, which they’ll distribute to children in need. An online fundraiser is set to take monetary donations to help with the costs of purchasing the new books. The book donation bins are located at convenient business sites stretching from Cross Plains to Mount Horeb to Waunakee, Sun Prairie, Madison, Middleton, Fitchburg, and Verona.

“With the communities’ help we’ll work to get brand new books into the hands of young readers who may have few, if any, books in their homes,” says Rowan Childs, Madison Reading Project’s executive director and founder. “To expand our reach, we are partnering with the Empty Stocking Club, Boys and Girls Club, and Reach Dane, along with other community programs that will help us supply books to children before winter break. 

“Our goal is to raise $80,000 to be able to purchase 15,000 new books, and knowing our generous Dane County neighbors, we’re confident we will reach that level,” Childs adds. “Everyone deserves that new book feeling, especially children, and books in the home are so very important.”

Anyone can help by donating new books, buying books from local bookstores, online from the Project’s wish list (https://www.madisonreadingproject.com/bookdonationguidelines)  or providing financial support. A business, club, friend group or neighborhood can also organize a book drive in person or virtually. 

“We want to shine a light on our amazing community and encourage people to not only help us collect books bought locally, but also support local businesses when they visit our bins,” says Ann Christianson, Book Drive coordinator. “To make it convenient, our red donation bins can be found across the county.”

Madison Reading Project’s book drive works with the Wisconsin State Journal’s annual Empty Stocking Club holiday toy distribution event. Open to all families regardless of their financial situation, every child receives a new book in addition to a brand-new, high-quality toy at the giving event. 

For book donation locations, the link to make a financial contribution, and complete information about the Community Book Drive visit www.madisonreadingproject.com/communitybookdrive

The drive ends Dec. 10 to ensure books get to kids in a timely manner before schools close.

Madison Reading Project is a nonprofit organization with a mission to connect our community with free books and literacy enrichment programs that ignite a love for reading. This year the organization hopes to break their record of book giving by exceeding 100,000 books given to 60,000 children in one year.