WEST MICHIGAN — Biggby Coffee locations across West Michigan are stepping up for local kids this fall, donating $1,500 to the "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign. Customers are also invited to pitch in to support students in the Grand Rapids Public School system through September 30th.
The campaign through FOX 17's parent company's philanthropic arm focuses on getting books into the hands of underresourced students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with a goal of providing 10 books per student each year at partner Title I schools — the baseline researchers say kids need to learn to read. Since launching in 2016, the Scripps-Howard Fund has distributed nearly 2 million books to about 100 elementary schools across the country each year.
The need is significant. Nationally, 70% of fourth graders were not reading proficiently in 2024, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and nearly half of U.S. children live in so-called "book deserts" — communities without reliable access to libraries, bookstores or reading materials, an issue that hits low-income families, rural communities and households facing language barriers hardest.
The gap shows up early and compounds over time. Some low-income families have just one book for every 300 children, compared to an average of 13 books per child in middle-income households, according to Scholastic — and kids with 100 books at home have a 90% chance of completing ninth grade, compared to just 30% for kids in bookless homes.
Biggby's donation, paired with customer contributions, aims to help close that gap for local students. Anyone looking to donate can do so at participating West Michigan Biggby locations through September 30th.
