Next Door Foundation Books for Kids Drive at Radio Milwaukee/Stone Creek Coffee, Now Through August 3, 2014.

Back when Jen and I were attending the Independence First dinner for Christine Ha, we started chatting with a member of Next Door Foundation. She wondered if we'd one day host a book drive, and probably, one day we will. But there's one going on now that I wanted to call your attention to, a joint effort between Next Door Foundation, Stone Creek Coffee, and Radio Milwaukee.

The drive's going on at the Stone Creek in the Fifth Ward, 158 S. Barclay Street, 53204, where they are accepting new or gently-used children's books, most notably infant-toddler picture books. That means specifically board books and hardcover and paperback picture books.

More on the program: "The Next Door Foundation's Books for Kids program was established in 1990 with the hope that all children in Milwaukee's central city, regardless of family income or education levels, could have books to call their own. Books for Kids distributes over 50,000 books each year!"

"Since its inception, the program has distributed more than 1,700,000 books in the Milwaukee area. Placing books into the hands of Milwaukee's central city children is essential because low-income families have few children's books in their homes."

Stone Creek is open 6:30 am through 9 pm. If you'd like some suggestions of appropriate titles, please come by and chat with a bookseller.