WHAT: Operation: Kid Equip (OKE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supplying metro Detroit kids with free school day supplies and books, will host its first mail in book drive in partnership with The Giving Effect. Between now and May 14th, people from Michigan and across the country can donate new or gently used books to OKE without leaving the comfort of their own home. The postage is free, too.

“I was fortunate to connect with Menachem from Operation: Kid Equip. Their progressive views on social media and their willingness to join us were a tremendous inspiration for building this system,” said Mitchell Silverman, Founder of The Giving Effect. “I look forward to working with them to get many more donations to the thousands of kids OKE serves.”

Local businesses are getting involved in the initiative, too. PublicCity PR has offered to be the first business to cover the cost of postage to donors who mail the first 1,000 books.

“We couldn’t have picked a better organization to partner with. The Giving Effect has helped us take our message to a whole new level,” said Menachem Kniespeck, Founder & Director of OKE. “It’s important to ensure the children of metro Detroit have the proper books they need to become the future of our great state.”

DETAILS: To donate simply collect 10 or more books, put them in a box, weigh it and log onto http://books.operationkidequip.org to print the packing slip. Each donor will receive a tracking number and when the books are received by OKE, the donor will get an in-kind donation receipt via e-mail.

OKE Teachers’ Annex & Operations Center

1830 Stephenson Highway, Suite B

Troy, Michigan  48083

Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 2:30p.m. – 6:30p.m.

Saturday from 10:00a.m. – 2:00p.m.

Operation: Kid Equip’s long term vision is a community where every child’s basic needs are met. To accomplish this in the short term we provide free school supplies, books, hygiene and food items for children who are at-risk. To effect long term community improvement, we work to increase awareness of the issues facing school-aged children to help them succeed in school and in life. For more information about Operation Kid Equip, visit http://operationkidequip.org

The Giving Effect helps donors connect with organizations that distribute essential items such as clothes, shoes, and food to people in need. Nonprofits use the site to publicize their needs and to create stories around each item donated: donors can share these stories online to increase support for the causes they care most about. Sponsors use The Giving Effect to promote their pro-social message: they provide postage to donors who mail items for free to people in need. The Giving Effect is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY.  For more information, visit www.thegivingeffect.com