H-E-B is asking customers and schools to donate children’s books to in-store bins from Sept. 14 through Sept. 27 and help reach a goal of collecting 1 million books for families in need. Customers and employees can drop off new and gently used children’s books in special collection bins in more than 370 H-E-B stores throughout Texas.
“A parent is a child’s first teacher, and one of the best ways to set children up for success is to read to them at least three times a week,” said Kate Rogers, H-E-B Vice President of Communications & Health Promotion. “Only 37 percent of children arrive at kindergarten with the skills necessary for lifetime learning. That statistic has to change.”
On Sept. 21 from 10 to 10:30 a.m., all H-E-B stores will host a Read 3 Read-In, encouraging community members and shoppers to park their carts, grab a book and participate in story times.
To engage teachers and students in the book drive, H-E-B is offering grants to schools that collect the most books through the School Book Drive Challenge. One school in each region will win a $1,000 grant to be used toward supporting a campus literacy initiative. Entry forms can be found at heb.com/read3.
Books collected in stores will be donated to children in need through schools, libraries, nonprofits and H-E-B’s annual Feast of Sharing dinners. If your organization is in need of books, applications can be found at heb.com/read3.
