Book drive for Paterson kids gets help from unlikely sources
Thursday, February 28, 2013
BY TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG
STAFF WRITER
The Record
PATERSON – The Big Book Drive has raised donations of perhaps thousands of books for Paterson children, but now help is being offered from all directions — from a regional food bank, to anonymous teachers, to a junk-hauling business, to a Ridgewood restaurant.
CUMAC/ECHO, the city-based regional food bank, has committed to accepting, sorting and delivering more than 1,000 books to be donated by a teacher who wants to remain anonymous.
And the removal company 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has volunteered to help transport large amounts of books in its distinctive blue, white and green trucks.
The book drive, which began last week, is being led by the Paterson Free Public Library and The Record and Herald News, with the Ridgewood and Fair Lawn libraries, and aims to collect as many books as possible to give to Paterson children to take home.
An elementary school teacher in Bergen County, also asking to be anonymous, promised to purchase $1,000 worth of books at a local independent bookstore to donate to the Paterson library.
The library wants to distribute donated books to city children in April at the opening of a new branch. Ridgewood Fare, a restaurant and catering company, offered to help supply food for the branch opening.
