The Juvenile Welfare Board Summer Book Bus free children’s book tour has begun in Pinellas County

Jenna Delgado

Freelance Writer

Tampa Bay Business and Wealth Magazine Freelance Reporter/FOX13 Fellow/News Channel 8 Intern/Jet Set Pets

The Brief

• The Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) Summer Book Bus kicked off its tour at the Sanderlin Center in St. Petersburg to help combat summer learning loss among children.
• This marks the first of 81 scheduled stops across Pinellas County.
• At 37 locations, families will also have access to a new mobile food pantry offering fresh produce and non-perishable items.

The Source

FOX 13 Photographer Albert Gamboa and Intern Jenna Delgado spoke with Brianna Ray, JWB Community Collaborations Coordinator, during an on-camera interview at the kickoff event.

What to Know

For the eighth consecutive year, the Juvenile Welfare Board has partnered with Pinellas County Schools to help prevent summer learning loss by distributing free books to children throughout the county.

The first stop of the tour took place Tuesday at the Sanderlin Center in St. Petersburg. Elementary school students boarded the book bus in groups of five and were each able to select two books to take home.

JWB’s mission is to help children thrive academically, even when school is out for the summer.

“We want to reach as many kids in Pinellas County as we can,” said Brianna Ray, JWB Community Collaborations Coordinator. “It’s such a rewarding experience, and we know there’s a great need in the community. Being able to give books to kids—to instill a love for learning and combat the summer learning loss that happens when school is out—is huge. We’re so happy to be able to do that.”

Throughout the tour, JWB plans to distribute more than 10,000 books to over 5,000 children.

New This Year

At 37 book bus stops, a mobile food pantry will also be available, providing families with non-perishable food items and fresh produce. JWB expects to serve more than 2,500 children and families through this initiative.

What’s Next

Kickoff events will continue through Thursday. The Summer Book Bus will make stops at public libraries, community recreation centers, neighborhood family centers, and childcare facilities across Pinellas County through July 17.