- Benay Hicks
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
ECU Health partners with nonprofit Book Harvest to gather donations for children’s literacy
By Elise Sandlin
Published: Jan. 23, 2026 at 6:50 PM EST
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Books are a journey to anywhere in the world, and for Alexis Wynne and her family, donations are what made that exploration possible.
“We have another daughter who is five, who’s been learning how to read, and so we’ve been reading together as a family. She’s been practicing reading to him, and it’s a lot of fun,” Wynne says.
On Friday, Wynne was one of several helping the nonprofit organization Book Harvest to load more donations into their truck.
Wynne received her books through ECU Children’s Hospital when baby Clark was born and says it meant the world to her.
“Having a baby is scary, and knowing that there were people there that cared about your child, and also their literacy and education at such a young age, is really cool,” Wynne says.
‘Books from Birth’ at the hospital is only one of the many programs that the children’s literacy nonprofit is partnered with.
However, Book Harvest Director Caitlyn Smith says this is the first year they’ve been able to partner with Greenville for a book drive.
“Having these book drive partnerships really helps us, and the more books that we’re able to collect, the more we’re able to share back out, so we’re excited to see the partnerships continue to build,” Smith says.
Volunteers loaded almost two thousand books from the nonprofit’s “Dream Big” event, their annual book drive on MLK Day.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worked with 40 other donation sites across Eastern Carolina to provide free literature for children in the area.
“Education is keys to success in life. If you can’t read, if you can’t communicate, it’s a roadblock to all kinds of success. So, it’s just a jumping off point for the rest of your life,” volunteer Russell Wynne says.
Book Harvest is located in Durham, and more information on how to donate in the future can be found here.
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