Roanoke organization preparing to distribute 40,000 books to kids in need

ROANOKE, Va. – Star City Reads is distributing 40,000 books to children in need at its annual fall city festival.

The goal of the campaign is to ensure all children are reading proficiently by the end of third grade.

The campaign's staff and volunteers will be spending the remainder of the week sorting through the thousands of books.

The distribution is to assure that all children have the necessary reading material to be prepared for school. 

"Our core mission is to distribute books to children because the statistics are just shocking. The number of low-income kids, especially the ones who do not have books, really is astounding. And it limits their ability to be ready for school," said Marissa Mazek, a Star City Reads assistant.

The festival will take place at the Goodwill center off Melrose Avenue in Roanoke Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.