Family-to-Family’s One Book at a Time program, in partnership with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, has expanded to 19 communities in 13 states, and continues to grow. One Book at a Time matches donors to children in need, helping them build their own home library. “We’re really amazed at the daily requests we get from donors from all over the U.S. to sponsor a child,” said Pam Koner, executive director of Family-to-Family. “We are working with Boys & Girls Clubs across the county, YMCAs and schools, and we hope to be in all 50 states by the end of the year,” Koner added.

As part of the expansion, OBAAT is exploring the idea of bringing on a children’s book author as a spokesperson, and is in talks with publishers about a possible “featured publisher of the month.” The featured publisher would recommend books for donors to consider under the OBAAT program and link back to indie booksellers to promote independent bookstores in the process.

The latest states to sign on to the program include New Jersey, Massachusetts, Missouri, Maine, Maryland, and Alabama, as well as additional sites in New York and California.