Reading is like food for the mind. It helps people develop the ability to think and process information as it comes in, among a number of other benefits. The importance of it is what makes it even sadder when it becomes public knowledge that there are kids in communities around the country not developing this important skill simply because they do not have access to books.
The good people at Uncle Bob’s Storage in San Antonio, San Marcos, and Austin, Texas, are in the midst of their Second Annual Summer Reading Program. The goal of the program is to collect as many books as possible by the end of May and then distribute them to local area schools to give to children free of charge.
“Last year, we collected about 3,000 books; this year we already have 10,000 in storage and we’re not even at the finish line,” said Monty Rainey, Area Manager for Uncle Bob’s Storage.
“Our Company has a culture of giving back to the community. In these difficult economic times, we want to do our part to make sure children have the resources they need to make their summer more enjoyable and productive.”
For self storage facilities to support literacy has been nothing new. Several companies have been involved in efforts over the years.
Hawaii Self Storage has been a supporter of literacy, more specifically the Literacy Hawaii Bookmobile, commonly referred to as the “classroom on wheels.”
Back in 2006 they started the Lockers for Literacy program. Through it, $2 from every new locker rental will get donated to a fund to go towards buying books for local area kids to enjoy.
That program got put to the test a bit more in 2010 when the Literacy Hawaii Mobile ran into some hard times. After more than 200,000 miles the engine on the old vehicle could not be repaired anymore.
"We hope people will do whatever they can to help us -- whether it's donate ten dollars or spreading the word via our Facebook cause page," Hawaii Literacy's Classroom on Wheels Coordinator/Manager Megan Naihe told the Honolulu Advertiser.
The Literacy Hawaii Mobile resumed operations in November after getting temporarily shut down in April thanks in part to donations collected by the good people at Hawaii Self Storage.
Sources Used:
“Uncle Bob’s Self Storage® Launches 2nd Annual Book Drive for Area Children.” Yahoo! News; 01 May 2011.
“Uncle Bob’s Self Storage® Announces Book Drive for Area Children.” Businesswire.com; 23 March 2010.
“Hawaii Self Storage Supports Literacy.” Self Storage Industry News; 16 April 2010.