Plano-based Pizza Hut is kicking off a new fundraising campaign for The Literacy Project, its global commitment to literacy intended to put more books in the hands of kids.

The fundraising campaign will run through April 15, supporting the company’s goal of transforming the lives of 100 million people in 10 years through reading.

“Literacy is a critical, foundational life skill that can have a profound impact on quality of life, yet it is an often overlooked social issue,” Pizza Hut U.S. President Artie Starrs said in a release. “The reality for many children growing up is that they do not have access to books in their home.”

“The reality for many children growing up is that they do not have access to books in their home.”
Artie Starrs

Pizza Hut is partnering with nonprofit social-sector leader First Book in its efforts to reach its goal.

The company said that all funds raised will provide educators with credits to get books and resources on the First Book Marketplace for selected programs and schools located near Pizza Hut’s restaurants.

“We share a mission to elevate opportunities for children in need, but we recognize that too many low-income communities simply don’t have the resources to provide children with access to books, with the result that teachers in these classrooms and programs often spend hundreds of dollars of their own money to try to provide what students need,” Kyle Zimmer, First Book president, CEO, and co-founder, said in the release.

In 2016, Pizza Hut started The Literacy Project to raise awareness about literacy and related issues and engage its customers into taking action.

PIZZA HUT BUILDS ON LEGACY OF ‘BOOK IT!’ PROGRAM

In its first year, the campaign affected 15.9 million people, giving out more than 275,000 books and educational resources in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, and South Africa.

Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! Program helped nurture a love of reading for 33 years, and the company sees the new campaign as building upon that program’s legacy.

According to UNICEF, the youth literacy rate has increased globally from 83 percent to 91 percent during the past two decades, with literacy higher among young males than females. The number of illiterate youth has dropped from 170 million to roughly 115 million, the agency said.

Those who want to contribute to Pizza Hut’s campaign can give directly at The Literacy Project website, or when they order from a Pizza Hut store via phone, online, or during a visit to a restaurant.