Wow! Primary school students at the Gateway Academy on the island of Grenada discover the treasures in a box of books from Hands' partner Boaters for Books

OK, Hands supporters, help us turn up the heat! The Hands 50+50 Summer Donation Drive goal of 50,000 books and 50,000 dollars is ambitious but reachable

During the summer of 2009, generous Hands supporters donated funds for the purchase of books and school supplies and volunteered their time to donate, collect, sort, and pack for shipment 32 boxes of teachers' resources and 117 boxes of reading books — that's over 10,000 books! But while distributing the books in the islands during the 2009/2010 school season we quickly ran out of books — and we found many more schools desperately in need of books. That's why we're setting our goals high this summer: 50,000 books (that's about 500 boxes) and $50,000 in cash donations. That's a lot more cash, and five times the number of books we purchased and collected last summer. Ambitious? Definitely. Where's it all going? See the current Hands Wish Lists page!

What kind of books are best to donate? Caribbean kids need books with Caribbean content (Macmillan-Caribbean is a great publisher), books featuring black characters and multiple races, Big Books sets (from Scholastic), class sets of 15 or more beginning-reader books, books with content that engages boys (adventure, sports, monsters, mysteries) and all manner of fiction and non-fiction books for school and classroom libraries. In addition to books, school principals and school teachers have told us what teaching resources they need — you'll find each school's Wish List on the Hands Wish Lists page. Can you help us raise funds to meet the needs of schools in the Eastern Caribbean? To donate, please go to the Hands Donate page. To see how far your money will go, please click here: What Your Donation Buys.

For all the specifics on how to donate new books or "gently used" books, please go to the Hands Book Drop page. There you'll find information on which books are suitable for children, for younger readers, and for older readers. We explain the best places (other than your attic or basement) to find these books, as well as six pain-free ways to collect them. The Hands Book Drop page also lists which books are not suitable for Hands, and what "gently used" means (books must be published no earlier than 1995, and the covers and pages must be in good condition). Finally, you'll find complete information on how to box your donated books securely and where to ship them. If you have any questions, please call us at 508-938-6307 or contact Hands.

Your cash gifts, and your new and "gently used" book donations mean the world to young Caribbean students whose families cannot afford to buy books. Thank you for supporting Hands Across the Sea and the Hands 50+50 Summer Donation Drive! —T.L. and Harriet