Tata Group partners with First Book to donate books to children in need in the United States
January 3, 2008

The Tata Group is pleased to announce its partnership with First Book, the award-winning US-based non-profit organisation that provides new books to children from low-income families across North America.

Under the banner of Tata Interactive Systems, Tata Group has joined with First Book to design a new online network that will enable the organisation to communicate more effectively and efficiently with its more than 50,000 partners and donors, hundreds of volunteer-based local advisory boards, and 23,000 community-based programmes serving children in need.

In addition, as a special contribution during the 2007 holiday season, Tata Sons, Eight O' Clock Coffee, Tata Consultancy Services, VSNL International and the Corus companies in the United States, including Corus America Inc., Apollo Metals, and Thomas Steel Strip, have donated a total of $65,000 (approx Rs25.6 lakh) to First Book. This donation includes an in-kind contribution of service from Tata Interactive Systems.

During December 2007, every dollar donated to First Book, was matched with one new age-appropriate book for a child in need by Simon & Schuster, a leading US children's publisher. The financial contribution made by Tata Group, and its companies, generated an additional donation of 65,000 new books, made possible by the match from Simon & Schuster, valued at $260,000 (approx Rs1 crore), to be distributed to disadvantaged children in the United States in early 2008.