On March 1, Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) kicked off its 2023 Children’s Book Drive at all 20 of its branch locations, including its three Cranston branches. This is one of the largest annual collections held in support of Books Are Wings, which also coincides with National Reading Month.

It is the 13th year BankRI has partnered with Books Are Wings, the Pawtucket-based nonprofit whose unique, youth-centered programs put more than 60,000 free books into the hands of local kids every year.

“The reason we hold our book drive in March is this is traditionally a time of low inventory for Books Are Wings and when they’re ramping up for their spring and summer programs,” said Will Tsonos, President & CEO of BankRI. “We have an incredibly generous community that supports this collection year after year. I hope we can make this one the best ever.”

For the entire month of March, all BankRI branches feature a marked collection bin in its foyer or near its entrance door to accept donations of new and gently-used children’s books. There is also the option to support the drive virtually by purchasing a book from an Amazon Wish List of titles requested by Books Are Wings. The Wish List can be accessed at BooksAreWings.org/donate-books.

Books collected through the BankRI drive will help Books Are Wings programs where the need is the greatest, including its summer reading outreach in Rhode Island’s core communities.

“Every book donated to us is a big deal — when you stop and think about the fact six out of ten children living in under-resourced communities grow up in homes without books, this is about providing access that can ignite a love of reading,” said Jennifer Smith, Executive Director of Books Are Wings. “This drive is so important to our ability to get books to kids before they leave school for the year and to keep books available to them during the summer.”

To find the BankRI branch closest to you and its hours, visit www.BankRI.com/locations.