COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — Promoting childhood literacy is as simple as visiting the cereal aisle this month and picking up an extra box. Kellogg's and Kroger (the parent company of King Soopers and City Market) have teamed up with the Scripps Howard Fund to donate free books to the If You Give A Child A Book campaign.
"It is easier than ever to help put books into the hands of children who need them most," said Meredith Delaney, the Director of Philanthropic Strategies for the Scripps Howard Fund / Foundation.
She explained that when shoppers in Southern Colorado buy Kellogg's products from King Soopers and City Market stores this month, that purchase can be leveraged through the Kellogg's Feeding Reading program to donate up to two books to the campaign.
"Or you can send one to the If You Give A Child A Book Program and you can keep one for yourself," she said.
The process is straightforward. Take a photo of your cereal box along with your receipt. Then visit feedingreading.com and select the store where you purchased the item and upload the image. You will have to create an account on Kellogg's website to use the promotion.
News 5 viewers have generously supported If You Give A Child A Book over the years. Students enrolled at West Elementary and Will Rogers Elementary in Colorado Springs and Bradford Elementary in Pueblo most recently benefited from the donations.
Delaney explained the big idea in simple terms. Kids read more when there are more books available to them at home.
"It's so important to make sure that kids have access to books, especially in their homes during those critical years so that they can continue to practice their reading skills, and it's just going to help them throughout their entire time in school," Delaney said.
The campaign targets elementary school readers since those years are critical for literacy development. The campaign began seven years ago, and the foundation expects to exceed one million donated books during this school year.
The Kellogg's Feeding Reading book list contains 140 titles with several books geared towards advanced readers.
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