And they say kids don’t like to read!

More than fifty Trenton kids came to Classics Bookstore on Friday, October 14th, to receive free books to take home, courtesy of the Trenton Books at Home Program. This initiative is part of Book Giving Day, an event hosted by Classics each year.

“You should have seen those kids smiling today…good stuff happens in the capital city!” said Todd Evans. Mr. Evans is a board member of the Safkhet Literacy Project, which supports the Books at Home Program. He is also the host of the Capitol City Open Mic, another community event in town.

The Book Giving Day event distributed over 300 books to Trenton kids.  Many of the children were from Sprout University, a Trenton-based arts school, but all Trenton kids can get free books from Classics all year round—it is their mission.

When reflecting on the event, Eric Maywar, the owner of Classics, stated that “for over 16 years, Trenton kids have come down to Classics Bookstore to select books to keep. We also partner with teachers and literacy organizations throughout the city to provide books directly to their students as well as through literacy-based projects and events — giving out thousands of books a year. We do this because, as research shows, having access to books at home increases the level of education children will attain.”

According to a study published in Social Science Research, “the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain as having parents who are barely literate (3 years of education) compared to having parents who have a university education (15 or 16 years of education).” By providing access to literature for local children now, our community will reap the benefits for years to come.

To donate to the program, you can send checks and books to the Safkhet Literacy Project, 4 West Lafayette, Trenton NJ 08608. You can also donate via Venmo to the Safkhet Literacy Project.

SOURCES: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0049089X18300607#fig2

About Author