WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The United Way of Marathon County is asking for your used or new children’s books for their annual book drive.
“This could be a free event,” said Director of Communications Sarah Olafson. “You can go through your own bookshelf at home and donate books that you are no longer reading. You do not have to buy new books.”
Olafson says you are going to buy new books to donate they do recommend that you purchase them through local stores such as Janke’s, which has been a partner in the book drive since it started.
Donations will be accepted at the United Way of Marathon County office in Wausau on June 8th and 9th. There will also be drop boxes located at Peoples State Bank branches throughout Wausau for the entire month.
She adds that the United Way has taken up this cause to make sure all children have access to books.
“One of the biggest barriers to reading is that young children don’t have a book of their own. They don’t have picture books or colorful readers to look through. United Way is really committed to education and that early reader,” she adds.
If you are donating used books the United Way will inspect them for marks and erase any names that may be written inside the cover. They’ll then put a Ready to Read sticker on them before distribution.
The Children’s Book Drive was called off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since 2017 the drive has collected thousands of books, including 8,000 that were distributed last year.
