The Gift of Reading

Young NYCHA Residents Receive 75,000 Free Books

At Rutgers Community Center, children smiled as they browsed free books they could take home to add to their personal libraries.

During the month of June, NYCHA gave out 75,000 free books courtesy of the Book Rich Environments (BRE), a program that connects public housing communities with resources to help children create a lifelong joy of reading. This is the second year NYCHA received free books through BRE; 50,000 books were given out last year.

“We are so proud to have expanded our book giveaways this year. These books will encourage children to discover a love for reading at an early age, helping them realize there is no limit to their potential,” said Sideya Sherman, NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships.

Books were also distributed at Carey Gardens, Hammel, Bronx River, Pomonok, Ingersoll, South Beach, Gompers, and Butler. In addition to picking out books, children had their faces painted, did arts & crafts projects, listened to stories read aloud, and signed up for library cards.

In 2018, BRE has distributed 422,000 books in English and Spanish to families living in public housing across the country. BRE is organized by the National Book Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), National Center for Families Learning, U.S. Department of Education, and Urban Libraries Council.