Select Page

On Saturday, May 30th, Bernie’s Book Bank teamed up with the Northern Illinois Food Bank for their Pop-Up Market in Joliet.

As families drove through the parking lot at Joliet Junior College to pick up fresh groceries, Bernie’s Book Bank distributed Family Packs of books. Each Family Pack contained six books ranging from picture books to chapter books. These bags are designed for children from birth through sixth grade to enjoy reading together as a family.

During the Pop-Up Bernie’s Book Bank distributed 4,056 quality books and 2,000 special interest books. Bernie’s Book Bank also provided 4,758 books for the food bank to distribute to nearly 800 families in Rockford. In total, more than 10,000 quality books were supplied for under-served children.

“This Pop-Up was a well-organized event which allowed us to safely and efficiently provide books for families in the Joliet area,” Bernie’s Book Bank CEO Darrin Utynek shared. “We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Northern Illinois Food Bank for the Pop-Up Markets.”

The Joliet distribution was the second Pop-Up Market Bernie’s Book Bank attended. The first was at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee on May 9th. At the Gurnee Pop-Up Bernie’s Book Bank distributed 13,500 books to families in need.

Special partnership with the Northern Illinois Food Bank is part of the COVID-19 response Bernie’s Book Bank launched in conjunction with the “Change Their Story” campaign.