Wipro, First Book Bring New Books to Seattle Area Kids in Need

Five thousand books are being donated to students in the Seattle area as a result of a partnership between Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company and First Book. First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that has delivered more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools with children in need.

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The books will be distributed to registered First Book members in the Seattle area, providing additional education resources in the community where Wipro employees live and work. The books will be used to stock classroom libraries, facilitate reading circles, and help students build their home libraries.

Wipro’s presence in Seattle includes its development centers in Redmond and Bellevue, serving clients in the high-tech and capital market sectors, among others. Last September, local Wipro employees hosted a Spirit of Wipro run, which included a 5K run, kid’s run, and family picnic with activities.

Launched in 1998, the First Book National Book Bank is the first and only centralized distribution system for large-scale children’s book donations from publishers to schools and programs serving kids in need. The National Book Bank distributes 10 million books annually, and with Wipro’s support, 19,000 of these books will be donated to schools and programs in Seattle, Boston, Mountain View, and Indianapolis.

“Wipro is committed to playing a role in enhancing the access to books for children in the Seattle community,” said Anurag Behar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wipro Limited. “Our Seattle-based employees are honored to help support students continue their educational journey throughout the summer months.”

Since 2015, Wipro and First Book have partnered together to distribute over 118,000 books throughout the U.S. and Canada, with a goal of distributing over 200,000 books to children in need, as part of their three-year partnership.

Book ownership and a print-rich environment are leading indicators of a child’s educational success, but for the 32 million children growing up in low-income families in the U.S. alone, books are scarce. A recent study found that in one low-income neighborhood, there was only one book for more than 800 children, whereas in moderate income neighborhoods, there are 13 books for every one child.¹