A City of Playford initiative, Give the Gift of Reading has collected almost 8,000 donated books from the community over the last decade, which have been supplied to Anglicare SA to distribute across Playford.

Mayor Glenn Docherty said the success of the program is due to the generosity of Playford people.

“Give the Gift of Reading is an incredible program that puts books – and the wonders of storytelling – into the lives of people who may otherwise miss out,” said Mayor Docherty. “While we are proud of introducing this initiative, its longevity and success is because of the generosity of the Playford community which shows up each year and donates to people less fortunate.

“It is extremely heartening to see our community come together and supporting one another.”

To participate in this year’s Give the Gift of Reading, people are encouraged to visit the Playford Library at the Civic Centre, Elizabeth, or Stretton Centre, Munno Para, where you can collect a gift tag before purchasing a book for the assigned age group.

“People can purchase a book for a child, teen or adult – this is a program that shares the love of reading across all age groups,” said Mayor Docherty.

Purchased books are then to be returned to the library before the collection is handed over to Anglicare SA.

“We will be handing over the donated books to Anglicare SA at a celebration event on Thursday 22 December at the Elizabeth Library,” said Mayor Docherty.

“The event is an opportunity for people who make donations to come together and celebrate their spirit of generosity and share in some Christmas cheers, with crafts and a visit from Santa.”

Donations for Give the Gift of Reading close at 5pm on Wednesday 21 December 2022.

If you would like to join the Give the Gift of Reading celebration event, register here: bit.ly/GTGOR2022