First Book and Partners to Send Over 40,000 New Books to Children in Ebola-Affected Liberia

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Nov 03, 2014, 05:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books to children in need, today announced that it will provide 40,000 new books to children in Ebola-affected Liberia.

Thanks to generous financial support from C&S Wholesale Grocers, Lee & Low Books, The NEA Foundation, Penguin Random House, Townsend Press and individual donors, these books — with a retail value of $320,000 — will be sent to Liberia later this month along with other aid materials.

Since the Ebola outbreak, schools across the region have closed. Children have been without access to traditional education opportunities and the continuity and moral support teachers provide during times of crisis. For this special project, First Book is collaborating with two strategic partners: the We Care Foundation and Library and the International Book Bank. These organizations will prepare and distribute home schooling kits that include child-focused information about the disease as well as an array of children's books for the children and families served.

"We know books provide educational opportunities," said Chandler Arnold, First Book's Chief Operating Officer, "But in times of trauma they also provide comforting bedtime stories, moments of family togetherness and the chance for children to temporarily escape from a frightening situation. We are thrilled that with the help of so many generous supporters, thousands of new books will reach these children."

Funds for this initiative were raised via, A Container of Hope, First Book's first crowd-sourced fundraising campaign.

About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more than 120 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit us online or follow our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact Julia Hornaday
[email protected]
202-639-0114

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SOURCE First Book