The Oxford Police Department is extending its outreach efforts to help boost literacy in Oxford.
OPD will host its first Badges for Books event this Saturday. Officers will be at both Kroger and Larson’s CashSaver from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. accepting donations of new and gently used books. They will be collecting books appropriate for reading levels of kindergarten through third grade.
Early childhood literacy is fundamental to whole person development, says OPD Interim Chief Jeff McCutchen.
“Literacy rates affect everything, including your local economy and even national healthcare,” he said in a press release Tuesday. “It is our hope that by collecting these books we can increase children’s access to reading materials.”
OPD will partner with local childcare facilities to furnish the donated books to children.
“Our goal is to put a few more books into the hands of kids who need them,” McCutchen said. “These books will be given to children to take home so they can have books to read when they are not in class. Research has shown the more books children have access to, the more likely they are to increase their literacy rate. We just want to do our part to help.”
For more information call the OPD at 662-232-2400 or follow the department on Twitter @OxfordPolice and Facebook.
