Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
LA Times Festival of Books: Making a Push for Donating Books
While we're not usually ones to overly promote Target, we were thrilled to see an area at this year's LA Times Festival of Books that is dedicated to book donation. The target truck was front and center, the signage was out and the opens bins stood ready to receive donations.
Festival-goers were encouraged to bring their new or gently used books to the donation station so the books could be delivered to schools in need.
The number of donated books was added to the total throughout the day. No word yet on how many books in total have been donated, but by late afternoon on Saturday, there weren't a ton of folks lining up to give away their books and we wonder how many people knew about it in advance (so they could bring their books) and if they did know, how many were willing to lug them around the festival until they found the drop-off location.
A cool prompt card was at each table, asking kids to provide more information about each book they were donating so that insight could be passed on to the book's new recipient. While we were there, a father and son spent some time filling out this profile for each book they donated and it was fun to see someone so young get so excited about the books they were giving away. He wanted to be sure that he included all the details he loved about each book, but was careful not to give any major plot points away.
Support for LAist comes from
It will be interesting to see how many total donations come in by the end of the festival today -- and maybe next year more folks will know so donations will be way up. If you haven't been to the festival yet and are heading out today...bring your books to donate!
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist