Hot Dudes Reading Launches GoFundMe for Books in Hurricane-affected Areas

Redwood City, Calif. (September 18, 2017) — In response to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, Hot Dudes Reading today launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to provide books to children in need across areas affected by the storms. Hot Dudes Reading, the Instagram account that celebrates book lovers across the United States, has partnered with First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more than 170 million books and resources to kids in need—including a focused effort providing books to children affected by natural disasters.

“We are thrilled to team up with Hot Dudes Reading and GoFundMe to get books to children affected by the storms. First Book is working now to provide books to children and families in temporary shelters and other sites across the affected regions and will be providing books to schools, libraries, and other programs as they re-open their doors,” said Chandler Arnold, First Book’s chief operating officer. “First Book has already distributed more than 5 million new books affected by storms since Hurricane Katrina, and we know books mean so much to young people during challenging times—in addition to a new chance to learn, they also comforting stories at bedtime, the opportunity to visit faraway places through stories, and a welcome return to normalcy during what can be an uncertain time.”

Chronicle Books, Simon & Schuster, and other First Book publishing partners have donated 10,000 new books to this effort and 100 percent of funds donated will be used to get these books to kids in hurricane-affected areas. Every $10 donated will enable First Book to provide 18 new books to children affected by the storms (up to 10,000 books).

In addition to this campaign, GoFundMe has created a central location for all campaigns that have been created to help those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

To view the campaigns, click here:

Harvey: http://gofundme.com/hurricaneharvey 

Irma: https://www.gofundme.com/irma 

For both storms, GoFundMe is working with state and local officials to ensure funds end up in the right place. GoFundMe’s Trust & Safety Team briefed officials in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida on the steps we take to protect donors and recipients, and we explained our guarantee that all of the funds raised on GoFundMe go to the right place. As mentioned above, 100 percent of funds raised by this campaign will be used by First Book to provide books to those affected by the storms. First Book is also included in Charity Navigator’s approved list of highly-rated organizations responding in the aftermath of the storm.

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About GoFundMe

Launched in 2010, GoFundMe is the world’s largest social fundraising platform, with over $4 billion raised so far. With a community of more than 40 million donors, GoFundMe is changing the way the world gives. Find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About First Book

First Book transforms the lives of children in need. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education — making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources, to sports equipment, winter coats, snacks, and more – affordable to its member network of more than 325,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 170 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 3 million children every year and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million classrooms and programs serving children in need. With an additional 1,000 educators joining each week, First Book is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators in the United States exclusively serving kids in need. Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

Media contact:

Melanie Boyer, First Book
mboyer@firstbook.org
202.639.0114