BookBanks, a UK charity that brings books to foodbanks, is opening in three new locations this week as school children across the country celebrate World Book Day. The new locations include: Lewisham Foodbank, CommUNITY Little Hulton in Salford, and c3 Food Bank in Cambridge. The opening of a forth new location, in Wymondham is currently on pause while the food bank relocates.
As reported by BookBanks, “The national reading crisis correlates with poverty. Latest data shows ‘the lowest levels of reading enjoyment and daily reading in a generation’. 1 in 8 UK children doesn’t own a single book and, for children receiving Free School Meals, that number worsens to 1 in 6.
“The stigma of using a food bank can impact negatively on mental health. There is a record 2.8 million people (over 4% of individuals and 8% of children) using the country’s 3,000 food banks. Studies show the majority of food bank users suffer stigma, fear and embarrassment, alongside hunger and poverty.
“Books help break poverty cycles and also improve well-being. Reading for pleasure is ‘the single most important indicator of a child’s future success’ and 74% of people who read say it has a positive impact on their mental health and well-being.”
It costs about £1,500 to set up a new Bookbanks location, so that charity is always grateful for donations, that will help them meet their goal of partnering with 30 food banks across the UK in the next 3-5 years. This will allow them to increase the number of books given out from BookBanks from 1,000 to 5,000 each month, and giving the charity a presence in 1% of the country’s food banks.
A full list of Food Banks with a BookBanks presence can be found on the website.
