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Donations collected locally provide books to local children

Courtesy photo Employees from The UPS Store® in Escanaba show off some of the books that will be delivered to local children through the Delta-Schoolcraft Great Start Collaborative.

ESCANABA — In an effort to help deliver the gift of reading to less fortunate children in the United States, The UPS Store®, located at 2425 Ludington Street, supports the Toys for Tots Literacy Program.

This year marks the 13th anniversary of The UPS Store Toys for Tots Literacy Program, launched in 2008 with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Together, UPS® and The UPS Store network have contributed nearly $8 million and distributed more than 44 million books to the most economically disadvantaged children across the nation.

The UPS Store locations collect donations year-round to benefit the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, with one hundred percent of the proceeds going to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to support local children and literacy programs. Every dollar helps put a book in the hands of a child in need, and thanks to the generosity of the Delta County community, The UPS Store in Escanaba will be delivering over $750 worth of books for local children through the Delta-Schoolcraft Great Start Collaborative.

“We are grateful for the partnership with the UPS Store in Escanaba,” stated Tara Weaver Director of the Collaborative. “Getting books into the hands of young children in our community is one of our goals — this donation helps us do that.”

“The community’s participation in the Toys for Tots Literacy Program is a key component to the success of this program,” said The UPS Store franchisee Susie Lynch. “This initiative provides us the unique opportunity to work with a nationally-recognized organization while making an impact in our local community, which is only possible because of thoughtful contributions from the people in this area.”

According to Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy, children who grow up in homes where books are plentiful go further in school than those who don’t. On average, children in economically depressed communities have 0-2 age appropriate books in their homes, and half of them start first grade up to 2 years behind their peers. The vast majority of children who start behind, stay behind, leading to an increase in our nation’s dropouts rate among low-income and minority students. Children from traditionally low-education families can do as well as children from high-education families if they have access to books at home. The Toys for Tots Literacy Program continues to not only deliver the gift of reading, but also the promise of a bright future.

For additional information, visit theupsstore.com/literacy.

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