This is What 400,000 New Books for Kids in Need Looks Like

First Book is in Jacksonville, Fla. this week, distributing 400,000 brand-new books to programs serving kids in need all over the country. In case you’re wondering what that looks like, here’s a picture:

We love books, and we love sending them out, and we love meeting the dedicated teachers and program leaders who come out to our borrowed warehouses (thanks, Duval County Public Schools!) and pick up books.

You haven’t seen dedication until you’ve met some of these people: they come on their day off, or after work, sometimes driving for hours, to load up their minivan or a borrowed truck, and head home again, all so the kids they serve can have new books to call their own. Meeting them and hearing their stories really does make all the hard work worth it.

Since so many people enjoyed seeing that photo, we decided to share a little more about the nuts and bolts of how First Book gets books to kids. So follow @firstbook on Twitter tomorrow to find out what it’s like to actually ship and distribute 400,000 books.