It’s the second day of my annual 12 Days of Charitable Giving. Each of the 12 charities that I’ll be featuring in the series was suggested by a reader as a charity that could use a boost this holiday season. I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way).
Our second charitable organization is Milk + Bookies™. Milk + Bookies™ was founded in 2004 by Meredith Alexander and was designated a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 2009. The organization “combines two essential and worthwhile efforts: literacy promotion and service learning.” The organization touts on its web site that the donation of books is a key component but “just as important is instilling the seed of giving into each host and their young guests, sparking feelings of importance, self-confidence and the desire to give and give again.”
Milk + Bookies™ was suggested by Laura Zimmerman who also devotes her expertise, hours, money, and enthusiasm as a Board Member and CFO to the cause. She writes that the organization has two important missions:
- Inspire children to get involved in philanthropy early in life, in an age-appropriate and family-friendly way; and
- Raise donations of new storybooks for less fortunate children who do not have books of their own.
You can learn more about the organization by watching their animated video here:
There are a number of ways to donate. You can make a monetary donation, host a party or purchase Milk + Bookies™ items, including chocolate chip cookies which would make a lovely gift idea for say, your favorite tax pro or tax blogger.
Your gift can help Milk + Bookies™ build a generation of readers who care.
Personally, I can’t imagine a house without books. I grew up surrounded by books. My family didn’t have a lot of money but we had a wonderful family friend, Ms. Gerock, who used to buy me brand new, yellow hardback Nancy Drew books a few at a time. Those books were my window to a world of magic and wonder and mystery. And yes, I still have them. My daughters now happily get lost in them all on their own. All kids should have the opportunity to discover the joy of reading their own books.
A search at irs.gov (which I highly recommend any time you are considering making a donation) confirms that Milk + Bookies™ is on the IRS list of charitable organizations as a public charity.
For tax tips to keep in mind when making charitable gifts, check out this prior post.
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