Hurricane Harvey Recovery Updates

Books Between Kids is working to assist with recovery efforts. Undoubtedly, many children and families have lost their home libraries to the floods, and we will be working to get books back into the hands of our kids. Below you will find the latest updates on our efforts to re-build home libraries and return books to our kids:

	How You Can Help The effort to recover home libraries lost to the flooding and to continue our mission of providing books for kids that, otherwise, can’t afford them, will be an ongoing effort. There are several ways you can join in on our mission and recovery efforts: Donate funds to help us provide even more books so we can re-build lost home libraries. Volunteer at our warehouse to help get books ready to go home with kids throughout the city. Or collect children’s books to donate to our program.
	Update: September 2017 In September, Books Between Kids mobilized to provide 15,000 books to 5 elementary school communities that were relocated because of extensive damage to their campuses. Books were used to build temporary classroom libraries, and, once these school libraries are restored, all books supplied by Books Between Kids will go home with the kids on campus.
	Update: October 2017 The next step in our Harvey recovery efforts at Books Between Kids is underway. We are communicating with our principals and conducting a needs assessment to identify which of our school communities and their families were most severely affected and how. Understanding the needs of our community is one of the most important steps in this process. Our primary focus is re-building home libraries. For kids that we have provided books for over the years and that are now left without books because of the flooding, Books Between Kids will begin working to get even more books back into those kids’ hands as quickly as possible.
	Update: December 2017 After concluding our needs assessment with school principals, Books Between Kids identified several campuses where a large number of families suffered damage due to flooding. In December, Books Between Kids began its effort to distribute extra books to these families. With the help of Houston ISD and the Astros Foundation, the Astros Literacy Bus was loaded with over 4,000 free books to give away to kids at Fondwood Early Childhood Center and Scroggins Elementary School. The Literacy Bus allowed for Books Between Kids to bring a “pop-up book celebration” to these campuses where kids were able to select 3 books each before the winter break. In May, more books will return to these campuses for their usual end-of-the-year Books Between Kids Book Celebrations.