Local organization distributes free books to the community

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana (KPLC) – Data shows Louisiana has one of the lowest literacy rates in the country.

According to a fall 2022 Louisiana reading report, 50.4 percent of children in kindergarten through third grade are reading below their proficiency level.

Reading has many benefits, including improving vocabulary and writing skills. One local organization’s mission is to make books available to people who need them most.

ReadFree Louisiana is a nonprofit organization that distributes free books to children, organizations and events.

“To spread the message that reading is fun, important and necessary, but also to create a sense of good neighbors who share and give the children a sense of ownership, they are allowed to keep the book,” said Ryan Abshire

Abshire founded Read Free Louisiana in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

He says he had a lot of books and because libraries were closed at the time, he thought people might not have access to books, so he started giving them away. Abshire says when the cause started to grow, he enlisted his best friend William Lynch to help.

“We acquire books in a variety of ways, sometimes we get used books as gifts, sometimes they’re purchased, we find bargains at thrift stores or other types of book sales and say, this is a great candidate. We use our own funds right now to buy these books and then give them away at different events or to different groups, to anyone who needs them,” Lynch said.

Since 2020, ReadFree has distributed around 12,000 free books. You can follow ReadFree Louisiana on their social media to find out what events they will be participating in in the future and how you can donate:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558369532821
• Email: [email protected]
• https://readfreelouisiana.com/

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