The Long Island Volunteer Center, a volunteer-run agency established in 1992 to provide, promote and support volunteer service on Long Island, will host a week-long book and school supply drive at the Long Island Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Volunteer Recovery Center located at 175 Central Avenue South in Bethpage.

Donations of new books and basic school supplies desperately needed by local school districts on the south shore of Long Island following Super Storm Sandy will be accepted from Saturday, January 19 to Friday, January 25 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

In addition to the drop off location, The Long Beach School District has created a Wish List of needed items on Amazon.com and is accepting tax deductible donations directly.

The Long Beach School District was hit particularly hard by the ravages of Sandy. Its central office and early-childhood center were condemned; and along with the many critical student files that were destroyed, countless books and supplies were lost in school buildings. Many more books were lost in students’ homes damaged or destroyed by the storm.

One Long Beach grade-school reading teacher, who was temporarily relocated to a new school with no books and no supplies, said her students need books to rekindle their love of reading, to gain insight into history and nonfiction and to fuel their motivation to become lifelong readers.

Another teacher in Little Flower School in Wading River, the only residential Special Act public school district on Long Island, is requesting a My Plate display for a visual manipulative for her students. Through the use of essential tactile and visual materials, she wants to instill valuable lessons about healthy food choices that will last a lifetime.

The LIVC book and supply drive that will support teachers and students like these commemorates Martin Luther King Day of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“As Dr. King asked Americans to bridge our differences and come together in unity, LIVC is asking our fellow Long Islanders to help replenish items destroyed by Super Storm Sandy so that our schools can continue to provide quality education for our children,” said Diana O’Neill, Executive Director of LIVC. “Following Sandy, Long Islanders face a unique opportunity to unite in volunteer service and do what we do best – lend a hand, help our neighbors and become a stronger, better community as a result.”

For additional information about the book and supply drive, visit LIVC or call (516) 564-5482.

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SOURCES: longbeachpatch.com, donorschoose.org