1000X5 seeks to bring more books into childhood homes.

Victoria’s 1000X5 Children's Book Recycling Project works to ensure children hear or read 1,000 books before age five, and this week received a $9,500 Mel Cooper Social Innovation Award from the Telus Friendly Future Foundation.

1000X5 Children's Book Recycling Project works to place books into family homes across Greater Victoria. The group’s goal is for every child to hear or read 1,000 books before their fifth birthday. Volunteers sort, clean and repair donated books and add informational stickers. The program aims to reach babies, preschoolers and families who face resource challenges. What the program does: - Volunteers, many of them former educators, sort through hundreds of donated books each week and repair damaged items. - Books are cleaned, bindings fixed and stickers added before they are sorted by age group for distribution. - The project has sent over 380,000 books into homes and supplies books to 28 social agencies across the region. - Each participating child receives a bag with three books and can access up to 30 books per year through partner programs. - The Telus Friendly Future Foundation awarded $9,500 through the Mel Cooper Social Innovation Award to add new titles to distribution bags. Summary: The project supports early language development and community connection by getting books into homes and partner programs. The recent award will be used to purchase new books for distribution bags. The organization reports it is continuing to seek more donated books and to work with local agencies to place them.