Read for Life and Bank of the Sierra Partner for March Book Drive
March 4, 2020
Porterville, Calif. – Bank of the Sierra is joining with Visalia-based nonprofit organization Read for Life to host a book drive at select branches from March 2 to March 31.
Read for Life is a volunteer, nonprofit advocacy group that distributes age-appropriate books to children and teaches parents the importance of reading and literacy. The organization has provided more than 250,000 books to children in Tulare County since its beginning in 1989.
People wishing to donate should provide only new or gently used books for children 7 years old or younger. Books can be dropped off in donation bins at the following Bank of the Sierra branches:
- Visalia – 2515 S. Mooney Blvd. and 128 E. Main St.
- Tulare – 246 E. Tulare Ave. and 1430 E. Prosperity Ave.
- Farmersville – 400 W. Visalia Road
- Exeter – 1103 W. Visalia Road
- Woodlake – 232 N. Valencia Blvd.
- Three Rivers – 40884 Sierra Drive
“We saw a fantastic opportunity to help our communities by partnering with Read for Life to help collect books for kids,” said David Soares, Bank of the Sierra’s Visalia Market President. “It’s all part of the Bank’s promise to help make every community we’re a part of better!”
Bank of the Sierra has donated $4,000 to Read for Life since 2015 as part of its Sierra Grant Program. The funds were used to help purchase literacy information and thousands of books for the organization’s core programs.
The Bank anticipates joining future book drives to benefit other communities it serves, including helping the city of Porterville recover from the recent fire that destroyed its public library.
About the Sierra Grant Program
Since its inception in 2004, the Sierra Grant Program has been responsible for donating over $2.2 million to organizations that improve local communities. Nonprofits who wish to apply for a Sierra Grant can pick up an instructional brochure at any Bank of the Sierra branch or visit the Bank’s website at BankoftheSierra.com/SierraGrant.
About Bank of the Sierra
Bank of the Sierra is in its 43rd year of operations and is the largest independent bank headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. Bank of the Sierra is a community-centric regional bank, which offers a full range of retail and commercial banking services with full-service branches located within the counties of Tulare, Kern, Kings, Fresno, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. The bank also maintains a loan production office and an online branch, and it provides specialized lending services through an agricultural credit center and an SBA center. Bank of the Sierra was recognized as one of the strongest and top-performing community banks in the country with a 5-star rating from Bauer Financial.
About Read for Life
Read for Life was founded in 1989 by five women passionate about improving literacy in Tulare County. The all-volunteer, nonprofit advocacy group distributes books to children and educates parents on the life-long difference reading can make – not just for one child or one family, but for an entire community.
