Students collect thousands of books to go to underserved communities

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - An ongoing effort to bring books to underserved communities in Alabama’s Black Belt just got a big boost as students from one central Alabama school spent months collecting books for the cause.

Vestavia Hills High School students delivered more than 4,000 books in Tuscaloosa on Monday morning as part of “Books for the Black Belt.”

“I knew it was going to be a big number, but to see it hit 4,000 was really cool,” said Vestavia Hills student Robert Dennis. “It means a lot of these books are going to go to people that want to read.”

The effort comes after the University of Alabama’s Center of Economic Development encouraged students from Vestavia Hills and many others to donate books for kids in grades K through 12 in the Black Belt.

“So, at Vestavia especially, we’re really centered around service,” explained Holland Warren, another student at Vestavia Hills. “And so, the fact that we get to do this as a particularly privileged school, I think it’s our responsibility and it’s something we want to do.”

So far, more than 10,000 books have been collected, including those delivered from Vestavia Hills. They will go to schools in 13 different counties in Alabama’s Black Belt.

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