Winn-Dixie locations in northeast Florida, south Georgia and the Tampa, Fla., area are participating in BOOKS-A-GO GO’s fourth annual National Children’s Book Drive, which runs through March 23. Based in Winn-Dixie’s hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., BOOKS-A-GO GO is an international nonprofit organization that collects new and used children’s books, and distributes them to kids from low-income families.

Communities in Schools (CIS) will administer the book drives at the participating stores. Additionally, CIS and BOOKS-A-GO GO’s founding sponsor, DriveTime Car Dealership, will hold book drives in select cities throughout March.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for people to donate children’s books they are no longer using,” noted BOOKS-A-GO GO president and founder Betty Metz. “The books will be given to local children whose families cannot afford to buy the books they need …. Thousands of local children will receive books from this drive.”

In fact, over 50,000 needy children in Duval County alone are expected to benefit from the event. The Florida county encompasses Jacksonville and its surrounding area.

“One of Winn-Dixie’s key principles is to support education, and by hosting these book drives, we are helping less-fortunate children to be successful,” said Terry Grooms, Winn-Dixie’s manager of corporate donations. “Learning to read is an important step in life because it opens up new worlds and possibilities for them to explore.”

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. operates 515 retail grocery locations, including more than 400 in-store pharmacies, in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi.