The Literacy Council of Frederick County is partnering with FCB Bank, a Division of ACNB Bank and Curious Iguana for its 16th Annual Holiday Book Drive to provide new and gently-used books
for elementary school aged children (PreK through 5 th grade). FCB Bank will be collecting donated books at their five locations (see addresses below).
While the Literacy Council serves adult literacy needs, providing appealing, age-appropriate books to children fosters literacy at a young age and helps to break the cycle of lower literacy in
families. The books will be given to parents of children in elementary schools who are participating in the Literacy Council’s tutoring or class instruction programs, as well as other community organizations supporting children and families. The Literacy Council is working directly with the Judy Center and Butterfly Ridge, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Monocacy and Waverley Elementary Schools to provide programs at the schools for parents whose children attend these schools, and many of our other adult learner students also have young children with whom to share the books.
Suggestions for younger grades include: board books, picture books (fiction and nonfiction), early chapter books; and for older grades: mid-grade chapter books, paperback series, graphic
novels, and STEM titles. Contributors often like to share a childhood favorite or just encourage the habit of reading in a child. We request no religious holiday-themed books so that we are
not limited in distributing them.
To participate in the Holiday Book Drive, you can purchase and donate books between November 14 and December 19 at Curious Iguana (www.curiousiguana.com) in downtown
Frederick (12 N. Market Street) – please designate your purchase to the Literacy Council’s Holiday Book Drive, and Curious Iguana will collect them in their bin at the store. You can also
shop online through their Bookshop link (https://bookshop.org/wishlists/662a92f1e6f251a98217b691ab5e73f558c07c1d) and consult their collection of recommended children’s titles, or search for any title on Bookshop. Books can be delivered to your home or directly to the Literacy Council (mailing address: Literacy Council of Frederick County, 110 E. Patrick Street, Frederick, MD 21701). Even though you are shopping online, you will still be supporting a local business. You may also drop off donated books at the following FCB Bank locations:
2 North on the Square: 2 North Market Street. Frederick, MD 21701
Aspen Ridge: 165A Thomas Johnson Drive, Frederick, MD 21702
Crestwood: 6910 Crestwood Boulevard, Frederick, MD 21703
East Frederick: 490 Monocacy Boulevard, Frederick, MD 21701
Walkersville: 200 Commerce Drive, Walkersville, MD 21793
Or you may simply purchase a book and drop it off at the Literacy Council’s office at 110 E. Patrick Street no later than December 13. There will be a bin in for the books in the outer
lobby. The lobby is open M-F from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Curbside dropoff can be arranged by appointment with requests sent to info@frederickliteracy.org.
Over the years, the Holiday Book Drive has provided books for multiple local agencies including Centro Hispano, Head Start, YMCA, Toys for Tots, Advocates for Homeless Families, Children of
Incarcerated Parents (COIP), Blessings in a Backpack, Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland and FCPS.
For any questions, please feel free to contact the Literacy Council (www.frederickliteracy.org) at 301-600-2066 or email info@frederickliteracy.org