MOORESTOWN, NJ — State Senator Troy Singleton is kicking off National Reading Month — and Dr. Seuss' birthday — with a children's book drive aimed at promoting a love of reading from an early age.

Singleton's District Office is collecting new and gently-used children's books throughout the month of March and is distributing the donations to BookSmiles, a local non-profit organization that seeks to "irrigate book deserts" by building personal libraries for families as well as classrooms in need throughout South Jersey. 

“Growing up, my mother instilled a deeply ingrained joy of reading in me. She would tell me that by opening a book, you can go anywhere in the world,” said Singleton. “Reading not only gives us the ability to transport ourselves, but it allows us to expand our horizons. These are opportunities every child should have, regardless of their socioeconomic status."

“For these reasons, I am proud to partner with BookSmiles to collect books for kids who may not have a shelf of books to call their own,” continued Singleton.  

Residents who would like to donate books can bring them to Singleton's District Office, located at 400 N. Church Street, Suite 260 in Moorestown, Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM. A donation bin is located in the lobby of the building.

Singleton's monthly "Serve With Senator Singleton" event for March will also benefit BookSmiles.

Each month, Singleton crowd-sources a group of volunteers to help with a particular community service project. The BookSmiles event will be the Senator’s 60th “Serve With Senator Singleton” event since becoming a State Senator in 2018. Previous volunteer efforts include indoor and outdoor clean-up days, animal welfare projects, clothing and supply drives, painting projects, gleaning efforts, and community event set-up and staffing. To date, more than 2,400 hours have been donated by volunteers to local community service projects.

The March "Serve With Senator Singleton" event will be held on Saturday, March 16 from 10AM to 12PM at BookSmiles, located at 7300 North Crescent Blvd., Unit 10 in Pennsauken. Volunteers will be asked to sort book donations. To sign-up, CLICK HERE.

Original Article