If you're in the greater Toronto area...

From The Toronto Star
January 3, 2008

Lieutenant-governors usually bring their own priorities and causes to the largely ceremonial position.

But in a welcome move, David Onley, who was sworn in as Ontario's 28th lieutenant-governor in September, is carrying on a campaign for native literacy that his predecessor, James Bartleman, championed throughout his five-year term in office.

Onley launched a book drive this week that will collect books for native youth in isolated fly-in communities in Northern Ontario. New children's books can be donated until Jan. 18 at Ontario Provincial Police detachments across the province, and at Toronto police stations.

The drive builds on previous efforts by Bartleman, who headed two campaigns that collected some 2 million books for remote communities in Ontario, Nunavut and Quebec. He also set up summer reading camps and a reading club for native children in Northern Ontario.

Boosting literacy, and opportunities, among native youth is a crucial antidote to the dire poverty, appalling living conditions and high suicide rates that plague many remote reserves. Onley deserves high praise for taking up this worthy cause.

If this has tickled your philanthropic fancy, here is a fantastic place to get books at incredible prices - sometimes up to 80% off. And there's still lots of time to order and have the books delivered to your home before the January 18th drop-off date.

Just a thought...

(I bet you're surprised this post has nothing to do with food, eh? Don't worry - tomorrow I'm posting an amazing raspberry bran muffin recipe! Mmmmm. Muffins.)