Barnes & Noble hosts book drive for food bank’s backpack program

Barnes & Noble at 13800 N May is turning the page on hunger this holiday season through a special book drive.

The store is collecting book donations for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids Backpack Program through Dec. 25.

“If children don’t have access to food, they do not have access to books at home,” said Michelle Mauk, community business development manager at Barnes & Noble. “We want to ensure that every child has the opportunity to enjoy reading.”

Last school year, the Regional Food Bank provided more than 3 million meals to chronically hungry children through Food for Kids childhood hunger programs, which includes the Backpack Program. The 2016 book drive collected more than 2,800 books.

“We love this partnership with Barnes & Noble,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “This is a wonderful gesture to help brighten the lives of children by giving them their very own books and encouraging them to read.”

Through the Backpack Program, children receive a backpack full of kid-friendly, nonperishable and nutritious food on Fridays to sustain them over weekends and school holidays. Last school year, more than 24,000 students in 500 schools participated in the Backpack Program.

Books donated through the Barnes & Noble book drive will be included in the backpacks for students at several Oklahoma City metro elementary schools.

For more information or to make a donation to the food bank, call 972-1111 or go to regionalfoodbank.org/ donate.