Throughout the 2022 Season, Atlético Ottawa are looking to give back to our community. Every theme match gives us the opportunity to do so. This Saturday is the Pajama Jam. Yes, we encourage you to wear your PJs (as it’s National Wear Your PJs to Work Day). Yes, we want kids to bring their trusted stuffies to keep them company all match long. And now we are asking you to bring new or gently used kids’ books.

We’ve partnered with Twice Upon A Time – Free Books For Ottawa Kids.  Shout out to Bytown Boys Supporters Club and Capital City Supporters Group for the recommendation. Twice Upon a Time is a Ottawa-based volunteer-run organization with an incredible purpose:  to support literacy and foster a love of reading at home. Help us, help them collect and donate new and nearly new books for children from birth to twelve years of age. There are so many reasons why book ownership for kids is important. Making books accessible at a young age, is the gateway to a lifetime relationship with books and literacy. They keep a pipeline of books flowing to partners in various health centres, community centres, Boys and Girls Clubs and literacy organizations as well as two First Nations communities near Ottawa. They also have a program to drop books off for new Canadians and refugees who have yet to find permanent housing. This is such an important effort to welcome those fleeing situations in their home countries.  Twice Upon a Time is an incorporated, registered charity and a member of Canada Helps

For Saturday, here are some guidelines for bringing books:

We are currently seeking donations of new or nearly new books suitable for children up to age 12.  We have an especially high demand for:

• Board books for babies (books that can be chewed, but are not already chewed!)
• Books in French for children up to age 12
• Graphic novels for children up to age 12
• Books featuring children from a variety of ethnic communities
• Our aim is to give the children we serve books that are of the same quality as the books we give as presents to the special children in our lives.

We respectfully decline:

• Books that are in poor condition – torn pages or covers, excessive writing, mildew
• Books that once belonged to a library
• Teen and young adult fiction
• Text books
• Magazines
• Audio books
• Movies
• Recorded music
• Dictionaries
• Encyclopedias

If you do not have any books at home and would just like to make a cash donation, please click HERE.
Keep in mind, even though books are usually donated for free, there are a number of costs associated with this type of initiative. Transportation, delivery, training, creating educational resources and more. Every little bit helps. Visit Twice Upon A Time’s website by clicking the image below…