On August 21, we wrapped up our two-year effort to bring five million new books to the communities impacted by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. We not only met but exceeded our goal, with a total of more than 5.1 million books distributed!
We celebrated this accomplishment with an event at the New Orleans Public Library, […]

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Many of our book distributions would not be possible without the help of the U.S. Coast Guard. As the signature charity of the Coast Guard, First Book relies on their warehouse space and volunteers to help us distribute millions of books to kids in need.
The Coast Guard worked with us on our New Orleans book […]

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Guest blogger Dr. Frances Weiler, is the principal of North Bay Elementary School in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
August 29, 2005 changed the world — at least it changed my world. My home, my school, and my community were essentially destroyed. Thousands of homes were swept away by the fury of Hurricane Katrina, and […]

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A sign in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, LA. View more photos from New Orleans onFirst Book’s Flickr Page

I just got back from a week-long trip to New Orleans, and I don’t think I’ve come back the same person. The week was intense and my mind is racing with impressions of the place […]

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Kit arrives at her surprise party.

It was with mixed emotions that the First Book staff gathered for a surprise farewell luncheon for our dear colleague, Kit Lunney. After four years at First Book, there was much to celebrate and reminisce over, through laughter and a few tears.
Kit has been instrumental in so many aspects […]

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We recently received this email from a Recipient Group in Louisiana:
Hello Friends at First Book,
I just wanted to let you know how important First Book has been to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
I was the Assistant Director in Plaquemines Parish La. where the eye of Katrina crossed over first. We lost our home and […]

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Anna and I just completed a four day, 750 mile, trip along the Gulf Coast for a series of meetings and events. As our flight left National Airport last week for the 2 ½ hour trip to Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans we were both nervous and excited about what we would find and […]

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Here at the First Book office in Washington, D.C., we get a bit confused sometimes. You’ve heard all the terms before — Book Relief, National Book Bank, Literacy Site — and now there’s one more for you to remember: “Learning Libraries.” But wait… Learning Libraries don’t come with books? What’s going on here?
Two weeks ago, […]

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During the week of September 25th, staff and volunteers worked together to distribute over 170,000 new children’s and adult books to more than 110 organizations throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Texas as part of our Book Relief initiative.
This distribution was conducted out of Merchants Cold Storage warehouse in Hattiesburg, Mississippi — many thanks […]

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The First Book office is in a central location in downtown Washington, DC, and the options for how to spend a lunch hour are endless. One of my favorite things to do is to visit book stores, particularly for author readings and book signings.
I had heard that Arianna Huffington was going to […]

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