The UPS Store at Virginia Gateway Center in Gainesville, Virginia proudly supports the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, and invites you to participate in an exclusive partnership with Toys for Tots in benefiting our local community.  Please read about the program, and feel free to contact us regarding any contribution you may wish to make to such a worthwhile program.

The mission of the Toys for Tots Literacy Program (TFTLP) is to offer our nation's most economically disadvantaged children the ability to compete academically and to succeed in life by providing them direct access to resources that will enhance their ability to read and to communicate effectively.

Literacy Facts & Figures:

• It is estimated that the cost of illiteracy to business and taxpayers is $20 billion per year. (United Way, “Illiteracy: A National Crisis”)

• In low-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books per child is one age-appropriate book for every 300 children. (Included in the “Handbook of Early Literacy Research”, Vol. 2 edited by Susan Neuman and David Dickinson)

Background: For more than 60 years, Toys for Tots has been bringing smiles to the faces of needy children through the gift of a new toy. While Toys for Tots is committed to this tradition and continues its toy program, it is extending its reach through the Toys for Tots Literacy Program.

After supporting Toys for Tots since 2005 and raising $1.3 million to help brighten the lives of thousands of children nationwide, in March 2008, The UPS Store network launched the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, a year-round initiative.

While the Toys for Tots Literacy Program maintains the Toys for Tots mission of delivering hope, it extends the organization’s reach and impact in a meaningful way by providing children in need with the gift of a book.

In its first year, the program delivered more than half-a-million books to hundreds of thousands of less fortunate children. This program not only brings the joy of reading to these children, but also serves as an important tool in breaking the cycle of poverty.

Just one dollar buys a book for a child in need. With your support, we can help make a difference in the lives of the more than 13 million children who live in poverty.

The TFTLP is exclusive to the The UPS Store network and 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the TFTLP benefits local children in need or the libraries, schools and programs that serve them.

How Can you Support this Program? During November and December, The UPS Store in Gainesville will once again sell $1 donation cards to further support the program.

Monetary Donations are also accepted online at www.toysfortotsliteracy.org. 

Won’t you help us in making a difference?