United Way Hosts 11th Children’s Book Drive

The Children’s Book Drive is a collaborative effort between United Way of Rhode Island, Women United, and Books Are Wings to engage local businesses, community organizations, individuals, and families in fostering a love of reading while encouraging children to build their own libraries at home.

This will be our eleventh year collecting books. Over the past ten years, we’ve put 272,210 books into the hands of children statewide.

This year’s Book Drive will take place in April and May, ending just in time for summer learning. Individual collections can run for any length of time during April and May – a few days, a few weeks, or an entire month.

• Children who are not proficient in reading by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school than proficient readers, profoundly affecting their future earnings.
• Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) 2021–2022 Grade 3 data reported that only 36.5% of all students met or exceeded expectations in Reading skills. Among students from under-resourced households, it was 19.5%. By race, 47.6% of white students, 22.3% of Black students, 19.3% of Hispanic students, and 12.3% of American Indian students met or exceeded expectations. Source: RIDE, www3.ride.ri.gov/ADP#
• Children in low-income families have fewer reading materials and for many, there are zero books in the home. Early access to books is critical to successful reading development and summer reading can help close the reading achievement gap.

New and gently used books for children — from babies to middle school — are welcome. We are not able to accept books for adults, reference books, textbooks, workbooks, cookbooks, discarded library books, or mildewed/damaged books.

Companies can give employees the option to order books through Amazon. Employees can choose one of their favorite books or order from Books Are Wings’ Wishlist and have them shipped directly to us.

Copy paper boxes with lids are ideal — they’re eco-friendly, free, and stackable for easy storage.

Books will be distributed at Books Are Wings programs and summer partner sites. To learn more about United Way’s education priorities, please visit www.unitedwayri.org.

We have a customizable communications toolkit, including posters and flyers. Once you have registered to host a drive, contact bookdrive@unitedwayri.org and we’ll email the materials to you.

Book Pick-Up Day is scheduled for Wednesday, May 24, 2023. For companies who are partners in United Way’s Annual Workplace Campaign, we will pick up your books when your drive has ended. Let us know how many books you’ve collected and we’ll schedule a time for pick up. Not a campaign partner? Please drop off your books at United Way on Tuesdays from April 11 - May 30, 2023.

bookdrive@unitedwayri.org.

Day of Action is a worldwide United Way event, offering volunteer opportunities focused on the work of local United Way organizations. In Rhode Island, the Day of Action will be held on June 3, 2023, with shifts from 9 a.m. - noon and 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. to sort, label, and prepare the books for distribution to children in summer learning and afterschool programs.

Sign up at uwriweb.org/DayofAction2023 or contact volunteer@unitedwayri.org.

Rhode Island

Statewide

• Centreville Bank — all branches 
• Coastal1 Credit Union – all branches 
• Shaw's - all markets 
• Washington Trust - all branches, until May 19 

Barrington

• Barrington Books, 184 County Rd., Barrington, RI 02806

East Providence 

• East Providence Public Library, 41 Grove Avenue, East Providence, RI 02914 

Middletown

• Island Books, 575 E. Main Rd., Wyatt Square, Middletown, RI 02842

Pawtucket

• Books Are Wings, 1005 Main St. #711B, Pawtucket, RI 02860

Providence

• Books on the Square, 471 Angell St., Providence, RI 02906
• United Way of Rhode Island, 50 Valley St., Providence, RI 02909
  Tuesdays until May 24

Warren

• Ink Fish Books, 488 Main St., Warren, RI 02885

West Warwick

• Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses, 1681 Quaker Lane, West Warwick, RI 02893* 

Westerly 

• Savoy Bookshop and Café, 10 Canal Street, Westerly, RI 02891 

Massachusetts

• Cardi’s Furniture & Mattresses, 999 Newport Ave., South, Attleboro, MA 02703*
• Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses, 1 Furniture Way, Swansea, MA 02777*

*Cardi's locations will be collecting books until May 20.