TAMPA BAY — For more than 20 years, Goodwill’s BookWorks program has given books to children who may not otherwise have them. BookWorks volunteers read to preschoolers in centers serving families with low incomes and then present each child with a book to take home. These are the first books many of the children have owned.
Since volunteers can’t go into classrooms to do readings during the pandemic, they’re currently doing interactive online readings with preschool classes, and teachers are giving children books that volunteers dropped off earlier.
A book drive for the program starts April 1 and runs through April 30. People in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Marion, Sumter and Highlands counties are being asked to purchase needed books through an online wish list or donate to the BookWorks fund that will be used to buy books from a wholesaler. Goodwill can purchase new storybooks for less than $1 each.
To donate books through the online wish list or to make a monetary gift to purchase books, visit goodwill-suncoast.org/book-drive-2021.
To volunteer for BookWorks, call 888-279-1988 and ask for BookWorks or email bookworks@goodwill-suncoast.com.
BookWorks volunteers presented books to more than 70,000 children during the last two years. The program is desperately in need of books to meet future needs.
Goodwill’s BookWorks program is designed to instill a love of books and reading in children to establish the foundation for later success. Visit goodwill-suncoast.org/bookworks/ for more information about BookWorks.
