Needy children in Wayne and Pike counties have received a many as 8,000 to 10,000 free books each year, thanks to the First Book program and donors. Now, purchases made to an on-line children’s book resource can help as well.
Jean Kammer, who coordinates the program for the two counties, said that through December 31st, Childrensbookstore.com will donate 15% of the customer’s purchase price when using a unique promotion code at check-out. The code to use is: wayne/pike counties .
The proceeds raised during this period will go to participating First Book Advisory Boards to be awarded via First Book Grant Awards to community groups that serve children from low-income families.  These community groups will distribute the books directly into the hands of the children they serve.
First Book enables local organizations such as day care centers and Head Start, as well as the Title 1 program at Wayne Highlands, Wallenpaupack Area and Delaware Valley school districts, to acquire the books for distribution.  At least 50 percent of the children served by the school district or group must be of low income.  Another stipulation is that the books need to be read to the children or the children must read them in school, before taking them home.
Various local fund raisers are held by First Book to finance the book purchases, the national office of First Book underwrites a portion. Kammer said that the local office of First Book will buy the books out right, or allocate an amount to the school or group to buy the books from a catalog.
Kammer, who is the Youth Services Manager at Hawley Public Library, does a special distribution for the children in the library’s summer reading program.
The books are all new and many have been donated by publishers; some may be overruns or have some slight color flaw. All ages, through Middle School grades are served. Both fiction and non-fiction books are given out.
Each child receives a minimum of six books in a year, or  as many as 12, she said. Their goal is to distribute them monthly. A lot of the children are repeat recipients.
She said it is very fulfilling for her when she gets such positive reactions from group leaders or parents. In many cases, the child may have no other access to books at home, and the parents might not be literate.
“For those of us who grew up in a world full of fairy tales and story times, it’s hard to imagine a childhood without books. Yet, nearly two-thirds of low-income families have no books at home for their children. And 80% of childcare centers serving these children lack age-appropriate books and other print materials,” she noted. Kammer has been involved since 2000.
“There is a direct correlation between reading ability and the number of books in the home,” she said.
First Book is a nonprofit with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Through the First Book National Book Bank, the First Book Marketplace and hundreds of local advisory boards, the organization provides an ongoing supply of new books to children in need participating in community programs.  First Book has distributed more than 60 million books in more than 1,300 communities across the country.  To learn more, visit www.firstbook.org.
First Book has a local advisory board, and they could always use volunteers. Financial donations, made out to “First Book Wayne/Pike” may be sent to Jean Kammer, 23 Skycrest Rd., Hawley, PA 18428. She may be contacted at (570)226-4620 for more information.