A glossy new initiative

Starbucks to collect recycled magazines for at-risk children and families

By: Laura Buck
   What could be better than helping a child learn to read? Members of the Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project, a Princeton-based program, asked themselves this question and found an instant answer, one that would help the environment as well.
   "People finish magazines and then just leave them on the curb" said John Mennell, founding director of MagazineLiteracy.org. "This project puts them to much better use by helping kids and reusing a product."
   The project is the "KinderHarvest magazine recycling drive for children and families learning to read," said Mr. Mennell, calling it "the first and only of its kind."
   For this mission to be successful, the Magazine Publishers Family Literacy Project needed to have the right partner to provide a location where magazine donors could bring their gently used magazines. That location turns out to have a very recognizable name: Starbucks Coffee Shop.
   "It’s a place where families gather, and Starbucks has always had a keen interest in reading and environmental causes," said Mr. Mennell, who also called the location "a perfect match."
   Magazines will be collected at three Princeton-area Starbucks Coffee Shops. These locations are on Nassau Street, at MarketFair in West Windsor and on Route 206 in Hillsborough. All locations are currently handing out flyers about the magazine drive to urge customers to donate as much as they can.
   "I think it will be great as long as people know it’s going on and actually participate," said Ashley Morris of Princeton, who described herself as a frequent Starbucks’ patron who plans to donate her used magazines.
   According to Mr. Mennell, there are a multitude of reasons why magazines were the chosen reading material for the project. The first reason was simply that they had never really been used in such a program.
   "There are many wonderful book literacy programs, and newspaper too, but this has never really been done before," he said. Mr. Mennell also said his organization found magazines appealing in that they often focus on particular skills and interests such as cars and computers.
   There was, however, a more personal reason why Mr. Mennell thought magazines would reach the initiative’s target community.
   "When people receive magazines they are very personal in that they have a specific mailing address. People in homeless shelters do not have this, so they miss out on this reading opportunity," said Mr. Mennell. "This is really something that can bring a lot of joy to people in homeless shelters or who never had a mailing address, because it’s something they can call their own."
   Though this is the first time this type of project has ever been carried out, according to the sponsors, there are already plans for it to eventually be expanded across the country.
   A Philadelphia man, Scott Jones, thinks this would be a wonderful idea.
   "If we had it, I’d do it," said Mr. Jones, who was visiting the Princeton area. "A program like this could really help people in my area."
   The initiative, which was announced on April 20 — Earth Day — already has received considerable support.
   The Princeton Dental Group at the Princeton Shopping Center and the Sunny Garden Chinese Restaurant in West Windsor have both volunteered to donate magazines. In addition to this assistance, the Tri-State Crating and Pallet Co. of Jersey City donated the crates in which the magazines will be placed.
   Once the magazines have been collected, they will be delivered to children and families served by several organizations including the poverty prevention group HomeFront, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and other local homeless and domestic violence shelters. Representatives at the locations will review all magazines for content before the reading material is initially distributed.
   Mr. Mennell considers community participation critical for the project to be successful in improving the quality of life for children and their families.
   "These summer months are crucial for families reading together because the kids are all out of school," said Mr. Mennell. "They need to be still be learning; that is what’s most important."