FLORENCE, Ore. (KMTR) -- The call has gone out again in Florence for book donations. For the sixth year, a Florence teenager is spearheading a project that will feed hundreds of people in his community. Taylor Graham, who is now a freshman at Siuslaw High School, started his Read for the Need project when he was just seven years old. With the help of the community, he collects gently-used books and DVDs and sells them at a huge book sale. Then he uses the money raised to buy food for Florence Food Share.
Wednesday, Taylor visited Siuslaw Elementary School where kids held a book drive to help the cause. So far, the community has collected about 16,000 books for the sale; Taylor says he’d like to see double that number because over the years, he's learned just how important his project has become.
“I also learned that Oregon has the highest rate of children going hungry in the nation,” Taylor said. “I guess it just appalls me that in my state there are so many people going hungry when a lot of people around me and my family are fine.”
Read for the Need is a community effort. Anyone can donate gently-used books, audio books, DVDs or videos at the Grocery Outlet in Florence, Florence Food share or St. Mary Church.
Fifth-grader Audrey Lowden is helping; she has donated 101 books with help from her mom. “When my mom was little she was kind of a bookworm, so she's got lots of books,” Audrey explained.
Taylor’s Read for the Need Book Sale will be held Saturday, June 2, from 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday, June 3 from 9 AM to 2 PM at Siuslaw Elementary School at 2221 Oak Street in Florence.
