Pittsburgh media group to kick off
second annual book drive for youth

Collection starting at Celebration of Reading
at Carnegie Library in Homewood on Saturday

The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation is partnering with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services for PBMF’s second annual summer book drive – PBMF Reads: Project Book Bridge.

PBMF will kick off the book drive at the
United Black Book Clubs of Pittsburgh’s
12th Annual Celebration of Reading. 
The book fair will be held at the
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Homewood,
7101 Hamilton Ave.,
from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 9.

The event will include music, spoken word and readings and book signings from local authors. PBMF will have a booth and donation boxes at the book fair for interested donors.

PBMF aims to collect 1,500 new and gently used, culturally relevant books by a diverse group of authors for readers ages 12-21 for the Department of Human Services’ annual Holiday Project. Since the late 1960s, the DHS Holiday Project has provided holiday gifts to children and youth who receive services through the county’s child welfare system.

Appropriate donations include inspirational books; historical pieces; contemporary teen and young adult fiction; books on fashion, self-care and hair care; and material that is uplifting, engaging and/or educational.  Books should be devoid of explicit sexual or violent content.  DHS cannot accept religious material.

Need ideas about books to donate? 
Visit www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books. 
Also, visit www.ala.org/emiert/about, and then click on
“Coretta Scott King Book Awards.”

Book donations will be accepted through Friday, Aug. 14, at events that will be announced on PBMF’s website, www.pbmf.org,
and social media sites, @pghblackmedia and www.facebook.com/PittsburghBlackMediaFederation.

To arrange a pick-up time for individual donations or for more information, contact Polke at communityservice@pbmf.org.

Founded in 1973, PBMF is a nonprofit organization that advocates for diversity in newsrooms, hosts programs that recognize excellent media coverage of minority communities and trains young people to enter the media industry.

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.”
~ Kofi Annan, former United Nations secretary-general