The UPS Store locations in San Bernardino and Riverside counties donated $20,000 worth of books to Inland Empire and desert Boys & Girls Clubs on Thursday, March 29.
The 61 stores raised the money through the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, a year-round initiative of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The books benefited Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside, Fontana, Palm Springs, Southwest County (Temecula), and San Gorgonio Pass (Beaumont/Banning). Together, the Clubs serve several thousand youth in inland Southern California.
“I think it’s great to see who the books are going to,” said The UPS Store Operations Manager Jacki Espino. “We get to see the looks on the kids’ faces.”
The variety of fiction and non-fiction books covered grades kindergarten through 12.
“Because academic success and literacy are so important to our mission, we’re grateful to The UPS Store for providing so many quality books to kids, especially those who have limited access to them,” said Mark Davis, vice president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside.
The UPS Store network is the exclusive sponsor of the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Since launching the program in 2008, it has raised more than $4 million to help deliver books to youth in need across the country.