Seattle, WA, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ThriftBooks, the world’s largest independent online seller of used books, is proud to contribute over 300,000 books to support Orion Jean’s Race to Kindness Book Drive. Jean’s goal for the Race to Kindness Book Drive is to collect 500,000 books to distribute to kids across the country.
“I first heard about Orion Jean and his lofty goal from a TV segment,” said Barbara Hagen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ThriftBooks. “His mission to collect and distribute 500,000 books to inspire kids to become lifelong readers is 100% aligned with the ThriftBooks mission. We just had to join in and support him with a contribution from our ThriftBooks Gives program!”
ThriftBooks Gives is a charitable initiative where ThriftBooks partners with non-profits to provide literacy support to underserved communities and to promote reading and its benefits.
Orion Jean began his Race to 500,000 Books on May 1, 2021, with the goal to complete the collection by August 31, 2021. With the ThriftBooks donation of over 300,000 books to Jean’s non-profit partners, Jean has successfully crossed the finish line in collecting 500,000. “This donation means that hundreds of thousands of kids will be able to experience the joy of literacy. I’m so thankful ThriftBooks could join us in this Race to Kindness,” said Jean.
“While the collection has been completed, that is just phase one,” added Hagen. “September is National Literacy month, making this the perfect time to shift focus from collection to distribution of these books. ThriftBooks Gives will partner with Orion and his non-profit partners to get books into the homes of underserved children across the country.”
Distribution events will be happening via free book fairs across the country and via community partners. Event and partner details will be posted later this month online at https://www.thriftbooks.com/about-thriftbooks/social-responsibility/.
Book lovers across the country can join in the cause by donating books to libraries and book donation centers wherever they live and then sharing that donation on social channels with #RacetoKindness, #ThriftBooksGives.
Those who are interested in learning more can visit the ThriftBooks website at https://www.ThriftBooks.com/, Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/thriftbooks/, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thriftbooks/, or follow @thriftbooks on Twitter.
About ThriftBooks
ThriftBooks is the world’s largest independent online seller of used books, having sold more than 165 million used and new books since its inception. Founded in Seattle in 2003, ThriftBooks operates multiple processing centers throughout the US that purchase, grade, and distribute used and rare/collectible books. ThriftBooks sells across a variety of online platforms, including ThriftBooks.com, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and others. ThriftBooks.com provides a best-in-class e-commerce shopping experience, as evidenced by its 2021 Best Online Shops recognition, its Best Customer Service award four years in a row, and its 5-star Trustpilot score with over 830,000 reviews. Customers who shop at ThriftBooks.com enjoy everyday low prices and can earn free books through the company’s much loved loyalty program, ReadingRewards.
About Race to Kindness
Orion Jean, from Mansfield, TX is the 10-year-old founder of the “Race to Kindness.” After winning the 2020 Think Kindness National Kindness Speech Contest, he decided to conduct a series of events focused on spreading kindness throughout the country. His first race was the “Race to 500 Toys,” where he collected 619 new toys for a local children’s hospital. His second project, the “Race to 100,000 Meals,” was in partnership with Tango Tab and provided over 100,000 meals to people across the country. His current project, the “Race to 500,000 Books” was inspired by his love for literacy and the desire to share it with others. To learn more about Orion and his past races, please visit www.racetokindness.com or follow him on Instagram @Orion_Monaco_Jean
