Joliet Schools District 86 students receive bags of books donation

Students in District 86 in Joliet recently received a gift to foster their love of reading.

That’s because Illinois nonprofit Bernie’s Book Bank donated books – again – to Joliet Public Schools District 86 students. Each student in preschool through sixth grade received eight books.

Bernie’s Book Bank has donated books to District 86 students since 2015, the District said in a new release announcing the donation. In 2023, more than 59,000 books were donated to District 86 students.

After Bernie’s Book Bank delivered the books to the individual schools, students could review their books and even trade with their classmates before taking them home, District 86 said.

Since 2009, Bernie’s Book Bank has distributed more than 24 million books throughout the Chicago area, District 86 said.

Bernie’s Book Bank accepts new and gently used books, organizes them by reading level and places identifying stickers on them, according to the Bernie’s Book Bank website.

A variety of eight new and gently used titles are then placed into a bag to distribute to students, Bernie’s Book Bank said.

Each child through sixth grade receives one bag of eight books, which is delivered to students to through their school districts and to early childhood programs in the greater Chicago area, Bernie’s Book Bank said.

For information on donating to Bernie’s Book Bank, visit berniesbookbank.org.