By Kathryn Reed

Before the book drive officially started, the initial goal of 250 books was met. Now organizers want to double or triple that number by the end of the month.

With April being National School Library Month, one of the six Leadership Lake Tahoe groups decided to focus on literacy on the South Shore. The goal is to collect new and used books this month that will then be redistributed next month to ages newborn to 16.

Local nonprofits and the libraries are likely beneficiaries.

Look for these boxes on the South Shore to drop books for ages zero-16. Photo/Provided

“We’re not focused on low income families. We are just trying to hit as many people as possible,” Peter Lavallee, one of the team members, told Lake Tahoe News. “We didn’t look into any background data as to whether there was a specific need for children’s books in the community. But the way technology is going, even with e-readers, people are getting away from hard copy books. We think getting books into children’s hands is a good way to go.”

The two chambers of commerce on the South Shore that eventually became Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce created Leadership Lake Tahoe in 2003. Now the classes are broken into groups, with each one having to do a project.

The Children’s Book Drive Team members are: David Landry (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency), Lavallee (South Tahoe Public Utility District), Nick Exline (Midkiff and Associates), Shelly Stalter (Barton Health) and Darcie Carpenter (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics).

Books will be collected at: South Lake Tahoe branch library, what was known as the women’s center, Choices for Children, El Dorado County Superior Court in South Tahoe, Tahoe Turning Point, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Heavenly Mountain Resort Human Resources Department, Round Hill General Improvement District, Kahle Community Center, and Barton Memorial Hospital.

The group is connecting with people through its Facebook page, where more information can be found, or email Groupfor2012@gmail.com.