He’s in the 9th grade. He and his mom were recently evicted from their home. He began this year on a 5th grade reading level. But thanks to you, Zachariah has hope – and a huge smile to boot.

Thanks to a partnership between Better World Books and Feed The Children, Zachariah now owns his very first book. Feed The Children does not only focus on feeding the literal hunger of children and families across America and worldwide, but also supporting healthy minds. With the help of Better World Books book donations, Feed The Children has distributed over 500,000 backpacks full of school supplies.

Zachariah’s success story would not be possible without you. Each time you donate or buy a book with Better World Books, students like Zachariah are given more opportunities to learn and grow.

Read more about how we met Zachariah.

A couple of months ago I wrote a blog called “Feeding Minds” in which I shared the eye & heart opening experience of filming the literacy success stories of our partner Feed The Children. These amazing stories were made possible only with your help – every time you donate and buy books with us.

In it, I introduced you to a number of students from Oklahoma who have gained access to their own books and even learned to love reading and to appreciate their education as a way out of poverty. I promised to share videos with you of these remarkable young Americans and am so glad to introduce you to Zachariah. I’ll let him and his teacher, Mrs. Feldman, tell you the their story…

What encouragement would you like to give students out there like Zachariah and teachers like Mrs. Feldman? Thanks for sharing your thoughts below.