San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) has announced that it will hold a book drive for new and gently used children’s books for its “Books on Buses” program on Saturday, September 24. The drive will run from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and will take place at the Stockton Barnes & Noble, Weberstown Mall, 4950 Pacific Avenue, Space 319, Stockton.
Last year, RTD launched “Books on Buses” to help promote literacy in the community. As part of the program, book crates were installed on 10 of RTD’s buses. These crates are stocked with children’s books for RTD’s youngest passengers via donations and sponsorships. Children are encouraged to read these books on the bus, take them home, and then bring them back or exchange them for another book. Books can also be returned to the Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library, one of RTD’s partners.
In November 2015, RTD received San Joaquin A+’s Public Organization, Spirit of Literacy Award for the “Books on Buses” Program. Banking on that recognition and the program’s success, RTD is expanding “Books on Buses” from 10 to 15 participating buses. This will help provide even greater access to books for children and families who ride and rely on public transportation. The scheduled book drive will help expand the program and sustain the inventory needed to match the eagerness of our young readers.
An RTD bus will be parked in front of the Barnes & Noble store to collect donations. Staff will be on site to collect books and share information about the program and RTD’s routes. RTD mascot Artie D. will also be in attendance and will even participate in the scheduled storytime reading at Barnes & Noble. Prospective donors are invited to visit the book drive’s Facebook event page for updates or to contact RTD at (209) 943-1111 if they would like to donate children’s books for the “Books on Buses” Program at a later time.