December 10, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

NEW JERSEY NON-PROFITS JOIN FORCES TO DONATE 9,000 BOOKS FOR DISPLACED AFGHAN FAMILIES RESIDING AT FORT DIX

This was a first time collaboration between New Jersey’s Bridge of Books, The Booksmiles Book Bank and Camden County Pop Up Library.

(Fort Dix, New Jersey)

Throughout the month of November, Bridge of Books (BoB) coordinated with the military personnel at Fort Dix, The Booksmiles Book Bank (Booksmiles) and Camden County Pop Up Library (CCPUL) to put together an immediate large scale donation of 9,000 books for more than 8,500 Afghan families displaced from Kabul this summer. New Jersey’s Fort Dix is providing a temporary home while these families await placement in new communities across the US. There was a great need for books for children and adults as well as bi-lingual Dari and Pashto books.

Bridge of Books donated approximately 2,600 plus books for children and adults including over 450 Dari and Pashto bi-lingual children’s books as well as a number of graphic novels for older kids. Abby Daly, Founder and Executive Director of BoB said, “Bridge of Books exists to level the playing field by creating equal access to books for all children. In this case, we knew that a group of children had landed in this country who had no books and may only have limited proficiency in English, if any at all. So, I thought about our connections, our community of supporters and our inventory of books. And then called upon Booksmiles and CCPUL to help us put the wheels in motion to get the best books possible delivered to the displaced Afghan children and their families – a group of kids who very clearly need access to books to call their own. This is what we do.”

Larry Abrams, Founder and Executive Director of Booksmiles, based in Cherry Hill, NJ, arranged for a donation that totaled 5,000 plus books with two drop-offs of 2,500 books each, approximately half for children and half for adults. Larry said, “I consider BoB and CCPUL our non-profit siblings when it comes to providing books for those in need in New Jersey. It was our pleasure to work with Abby and Tom. I hope we do it again and raise awareness that it’s best to donate books to us because we get them into the hands of those who need them the most.”

Tom Martin, Founder and Executive Director of CCPUL, based in Camden, NJ and his organization contributed approximately 1,000 plus adult books that were focused on professional development, light mysteries, cook books, magazines, etc. “We were just thrilled to team with Abby and Larry to have an opportunity to contribute books to the good people of Afghanistan who have been through so much for so long. To think that maybe our contribution made a difference in their lives, fills our hearts with joy and gratitude,” said Tom.

In addition to the books that were collected and provided, Kristen Lamoreaux, who leads a technology search firm (lamoreauxsearch.com) contributed many online resources that could benefit the Afghan families. She curated a list of professional development websites, books, assessments, and cajoling authors to offer them for free via specialized links where possible. Kristen said, “The hope is that these links will give families a place to start their transition within the United States workforce. Our country is based on hope for a better life and how could I not help Bridge of Books serve as that purveyor of hope.”

About Bridge of Books Foundation

Bridge of Books Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-led organization. Their mission is to provide an ongoing source of books to underserved children throughout New Jersey in order to support the development of literacy skills and to encourage a love of reading. Currently operating out of Rumson, Red Bank and Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, Bridge of Books Foundation  collects books through book drives, individual donations, publisher overstocks, and corporate donors. Books are then distributed through various agencies, community events, schools, and other venues. Since its founding in 2003, Bridge of Books Foundation has facilitated the donation of nearly 1.3 million books to underserved children across New Jersey

For more information about the release or the individual organizations, contact:

Abigail Daly, Founder & Executive Director
Bridge of Books Foundation
Tel: (732) 291-4755
Email: [email protected]
bridgeofbooksfoundation.org

Larry Abrams
The Booksmiles Book Bank
Tel: (856) 986-2707
Email: [email protected]
Booksmiles.org

Tom Martin. Founder & Executive Director
Camden County Pop Up Library and The Book Ark Project
Tel: (856) 308-6992
Email: [email protected]
Camdencountypopuplibrary.org