One of my core beliefs — the Why, if you will, behind Read+Purr — is that everyone deserves to experience the enchantment, the bliss, and the comfort that are conjured up when we read stories we love.

If you’re like me, your love of books and reading began in childhood.

But many children may not have the chance to experience this magic simply because they don’t have easy access to books. This is especially true if their families lack reliable transportation, time, or resources to buy books or visit public libraries.

Through Read+Purr, I want to help make sure that these children — ALL children — have access to books … so they, too, can feed their imaginations by reading books they want to, simply for the fun of it.

And how am I doing that, you ask?

One of my favorite local (well, local to us here at Read+Purr HQ) nonprofits supports literacy efforts worldwide and also right here in our own Bluegrass backyard.

The core mission of the International Book Project is “to develop lasting partnerships with educators in underserved communities to provide books, promote literacy, and advance opportunity.” And, since the organization was founded in 1966, they’ve done just that, having shipped more than 7 million books to 167 countries.

And, did you know? …

On behalf of every new Read+Purr Story Club member, we’ll give (by way of donations to the International Book Project) a shelf’s worth of books to a child and family who needs them. The IBP’s Books in the Bluegrass program provides in-home libraries to families in several programs in the Lexington, Ky. Area, including Habitat for Humanity, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, DV8 Kitchen (a local restaurant whose employees are all in recovery), Greenhouse 17 (a small farm that provides shelter to survivors of domestic abuse), and others.

Do you have a favorite literacy nonprofit (either local-to-you or national)? When we work together — through a variety of channels — we can fight book bans and censorship, support public libraries and literacy programs, and get books to the children and families who need them most.