Scripps literacy campaign will distribute 200,000 books to kids across the country

CINCINNATI, Oct. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The national "If You Give a Child a Book …" campaign will distribute over 200,000 books to kids in low-income households across the country this school year.

The annual childhood literacy campaign is led by the Scripps Howard Foundation and supported by employees of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), members of the Scripps family and communities where Scripps does business in more than 40 markets across the country.

This fall, the campaign raised $840,657, equating to 168,131 books for nonprofits and Title I partner schools with high percentages of children from low-income families. A donation of $5 equals one book for a child in need.

New this year, Kellogg's partnered with the Scripps Howard Foundation to donate an additional 35,000 books to the campaign through its "Feeding Reading" program, increasing the total donation to more than 200,000 books. "Feeding Reading" gives families who purchase a participating Kellogg's product a free children's book. Partner schools established by the Foundation's campaign will be recipients of books donated through the program.

"We are overwhelmed by the generosity we continue to witness with this campaign year after year," said Liz Carter, president and CEO of Scripps Howard Foundation. "The past 18 months have been hard on children. With disruptions in schooling, many have fallen behind in reading, especially those who live in poverty.

"We know books in the home are an important predictor of a child's success and, thanks to the generosity of our employees and consumers, we're able to ensure kids in need across the country have access to books."

Since the campaign's first year in 2016, more than 500,000 new books have been donated to children facing poverty in communities served by Scripps businesses. With the additional funds raised through this year's campaign, the total number of distributed books will surpass 700,000.

Learn more at ifyougiveabook.com.

About the Scripps Howard Foundation

The Scripps Howard Foundation supports philanthropic causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and the communities it serves, with a special emphasis on journalism education, excellence in journalism and childhood literacy. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Foundation is a leader in supporting journalism education, scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry's top honors for outstanding journalism. In support of its mission to create a better-informed world, the Foundation also partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and support impactful organizations to drive solutions that help build thriving communities.

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SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company