SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — The month of March means spring is around the corner. It also means United Way of Southwest Michigan’s Spring into Reading is back.

In partnership with the Great Start Collaboratives of Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties, United Way of Southwest Michigan seeks to collect 5,000 new and gently used books from March 1-31 for area children and young adults. This book drive is in celebration of March’s National Reading Month.

There are 44 drop-off locations throughout Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. To find locations and purchase books off an Amazon Wishlist to be shipped directly to United Way, visit uwsm.org/book-drive.

Books will be distributed through area home-visiting programs, Tri-County Head Start programs, area shelters, strategic businesses, area food pantries and targeted agencies to get books in children’s hands during summer months.

“We couldn’t make this event happen without the support of our community,” said Debbie Ramirez, director of volunteer engagement at United Way of Southwest Michigan. “Spring into Reading enables us to put books in the hands of kids all summer long. We are able to distribute them everywhere from area ‘Meet Up, Eat Up’ summer meal sites to area home-visiting programs.”

Any company or business that would like to collect books to add to the drive should email morgan.jewell@uwsm.org.

The Great Start Collaboratives are early childhood community initiatives that bring community leaders, business owners, charitable and faith-based organizations, health and human service agencies, educators and parents together to focus on families with children prenatal to age 8. Together, these groups work to provide a network of resources that help families obtain services that will allow their children to succeed in every facet of their lives, officials said.

“One of the best ways to impact educational attainment for children in low-income communities is to develop their reading skills. To develop those skills, children are encouraged to read at home, but many children living in poverty in the U.S. do not have access to books at their homes. Spring into Reading is an event that puts books into the hands of children that need them,” Ramirez said.

The collaboratives work to expand and enhance early childhood systems in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties and make progress toward early childhood outcomes including overall health, early academic development, and school preparedness.