Donate your old textbooks to needy

Donate your old textbooks to needy

SINGAPORE - If you are wondering what to do with your old textbooks after the exams end, why not donate them to less well-off students?

Under the Share-A-Textbook project, the public can donate textbooks at any FairPrice outlet, including at Esso service stations, until Dec 7.

The supermarket chain is partnering volunteer welfare organisations and community development councils to shortlist students from low-income families who will be given priority to choose the textbooks they need.

About 20,000 primary and secondary students are expected to benefit.

After these students have picked their textbooks, the public will be invited to choose from the remainder at Gan Eng Seng, Changkat Changi and Yio Chu Kang secondary schools on Dec 14.

This year, FairPrice aims to collect 400,000 textbooks that are in good condition, a 5 per cent increase from last year.

The Share-A-Textbook drive is into its 32nd edition and has collected more than 3.1 million books over the years.

This equates to more than 37,000 trees saved, said FairPrice chief executive Seah Kian Peng at the launch of the drive yesterday.

This year, FairPrice will also give out $580,000 worth of study grants to help more than 1,000 students, he added.

Mr Andy Wong and his family are potential beneficiaries of the textbook drive. His sons, 12 and 14, suffer from muscle disorders.

The donated textbooks could save the family up to $400, which could be used for medical bills or groceries, he said.

"My children also get to see notes and highlights made by the previous user of the textbook," said Mr Wong, 47, a construction firm owner. "This comes in handy in their studies."

kashc@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on November 7, 2014.
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