Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims is on a mission to put books in the hands of children who need it most.
"What deputies do is when they come across children in our community they're able to retrieve books out of these bags," Mims said.
With the "sheriff's posse," Mims hopes to improve literacy in our community while cutting down on crime.
"Over 80 percent of people nationwide in prison are illiterate, and over 60 percent of young people in Fresno County Juvenile Hall read four or five levels below their grade level," Mims said. "I thought we could do something about that."
So far Mims says she's seen the reading efforts go a long way as deputies hand out books to children at jails, at crime scenes, or just while they're out patrolling.
"It's a brand new book, the child can keep it," Mims said. "It's free and it might be the only book that the child ever receives."
ABC30's parent company Disney and Marvel Comics want to support the sheriff's posse, so we're donating 20,000 books to valley children.
You can help by giving a brand new book, aged for preschool or elementary school children, and dropping it off at the Fresno County Sub Station on Shields and Clovis in Fresno on Friday.
The drive will run from 5 am to 7 pm.
