October is National Book Month and Desert Financial Credit Union has donated $15,000 to buy new books for Operation School Bell.

Assistance League of Phoenix (ALP) provides support to low-income students in the Valley who are in need of new clothing, shoes, hygiene items and books for school.

“This donation will allow us to provide new books for 13,000 children living in poverty,” Assistance League of Phoenix CEO Aimee Runyon shared in a press release. “For many of these kids, this will be the first book that they will own.”

Operation School Bell is ALP’s flagship program which aims to fulfill basic needs, foster self-esteem, and make sure every single student can enter the classroom ready to learn. The program helped more than 12,000 students in 2022.

Assistance League of Phoenix partners with more than 130 Valley Title I schools to bring Operation School Bell to students in need. Each school can select up to 100 children to receive wardrobe packages.

To make the program more accessible for underserved and low-income families, ALP uses 40-foot retrofitted buses called Delivering Dreams Buses, bringing the program directly to the schools. The buses are filled with racks of clothing and shoes, along with private dressing rooms.

Corporate and community groups, like Desert Financial, provide volunteers to help each child select clothing and ensure that clothes and shoes fit properly. Each student receives a package of items that include clothing, shoes, hygiene items and a new book valued at approximately $300.