Guru Krupa Foundation Helps First Book Deliver More Than 47,000 Books, Resources Over Two Years to Support Learning Opportunities for Children in Need

WASHINGTON (August 14, 2020) – The Guru Krupa Foundation, a private foundation that supports the preservation and acquisition of knowledge, is partnering with the nonprofit First Book to provide more than 47,000 books and educational resources to children in low-income families. The books and resources are being distributed over the course of 2019 and 2020, primarily to schools and programs in the greater New York City and greater Los Angeles areas.

In a 2020 COVID-19 survey by First Book Research & Insights, 80% of educators responding cited books as the resource they need now to support the children they serve.

“Books are always one of the most requested resources from our network of educators – and that has been especially true during these unprecedented times,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book.  “As a result of COVID-19, books are a lifeline for millions of children who’ve been shut out of school due to the pandemic, most without access to devices and reliable home internet service that is needed for remote learning. This has made the contributions of the Guru Krupa Foundation all the more critical this year.  We are so grateful for their support.”

Since the partnership began in 2012, Guru Krupa Foundation and First Book have provided more than 175,000 books and educational resources to children in need across New York’s Nassau County, the greater New York City and Los Angeles areas, as well as in India.

“It is a high priority goal of the Guru Krupa Foundation to facilitate the educational growth of children as that is the foundation for their success later in life,” said Mukund Padmanabhan, president of Guru Krupa Foundation. “Unfortunately, children from impoverished backgrounds are handicapped by not having access to the books that are essential for their education. Our partnership with First Book has been addressing exactly this need for the past 8 years, and has given us the pleasure of putting tens of thousands of books in the hands of children in the Long Island, NYC and LA regions. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the coming years, and making a positive difference in the lives of children across the U.S.”

Educators and programs working with children in need are invited to sign up with First Book atwww.firstbook.org/register.

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About First Book

Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1992 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit social enterprise, First Book is a leader in the educational equity field. Over its nearly 30-year history, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational resources, with a retail value of more than $2.0 billion. First Book believes education offers children in need the best path out of poverty. First Book breaks down barriers to quality education by providing its network of more than 475,000 registered teachers, librarians, after school program leaders, and others serving children in need with millions of free and affordable new, high-quality books, educational resources, and basic needs items through the award-winning First Book Marketplace nonprofit eCommerce site. The First Book Network comprises the largest and fastest-growing community of formal and informal educators serving children in need.