First Book, a nonprofit organization that promotes reading among children of low-income families, has opened a relief fund to provide books to schools and families impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Every $2.50 donation will provide a new book to a child and will be matched by First Book with an additional book.

“Even as first responders are working to provide these families with electricity, water, and other critical resources, First Book is joining forces with our local volunteers and partners to replace hundreds of thousands of lost and destroyed books in schools and libraries in low-income communities,” First Book president and CEO Kyle Zimmer said in a statement.

“In the months to come, as infrastructure is repaired and replaced and families are able to return home, we’ll be there to ensure that kids who lost so much will have the books they need,” said Zimmer.

During the last 20 years, First Book has provided more than 90 million books to children and schools across North America. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Washington D.C.-based group distributed 5 million books to affected families.

You cann help by visiting the First Book website.

Related articles

• New Books for Victims of Hurricane Sandy (firstbook.org)
• INFOGRAPHIC: Hurricane Sandy vs. Katrina (huffingtonpost.com)