Written by Today’s guest blog post is from Susanne Sparks, an engagement manager at First Book. She’s passionate about leveling the playing field so that all children can learn, grow, and thrive.
Last week, I traveled to Jacksonville, Fla. with three of my colleagues to distribute books via the First Book National Book Bank. As a new staff member, I knew facts about how the First Book National Book Bank operated, but was eager to learn more about the process.
Susanne Sparks
The First Book National Book Bank distributes excess inventory from over 90 publishing partners to educators and youth workers serving children from impoverished homes. Disney Publishing Worldwide donated the 430,000 we processed out of Jacksonville.
The distribution had three phases. Tuesday, apply shipping labels to half of the boxes and get them out the door via six tractor trailers. Wednesday, gather boxes of books for pick-up at the warehouse. Thursday and Friday, meet the recipient group representatives—teachers, youth workers, and other “changemakers”—and help load the books into their cars, trucks, trailers, and yes, even a school bus.
