“Books are so great and important on their own, but when you can use books to do good, then it’s a match made in heaven,” said Colin Bennett of Bennett’s Books in Deep River.

Bennett is aiming to make such a match. He started a new program last month that provides free books to children from low-income families.

“I know that there are plenty of folks out there in need and that are struggling, so we’re trying to get the word out to as many people as possible,” said Bennett, who adds that he is reaching out to various local youth service bureaus and the schools about offering free books to children.

Bennett said that the program aims to increase access to books for young kids and help promote the importance of literacy.

Another benefit is instilling “a sense of ownership with a book, like ‘Hey, I get to keep this book,’” said Bennett.

Families that sign their children up for the program can pick one free book a week from the children’s, young adult, or manga (anime comics) sections of the store for the duration of the program.

Bennett started the used bookstore at 171 Main Street about seven years ago, filling every nook and cranny with hundreds, if not thousands, of volumes. The store’s extensive collection of children’s books fills a back room, with a variety of genres and reading levels.

“I buy books occasionally, but I’m really selective about the books that I buy because a lot of people donate books,” he said. “That’s what allows us to do so much community service…We use that money. We translate that money back into the community.”

Applications for the program are available at the bookstore. Bennett said that the process to sign up is confidential and simple, with the only required information being the child’s name, town of residence, and birthday.

The bookstore is also accepting sponsorships to serve additional low-income families with the free book program. A minimum donation for a full sponsorship this year is $25, according to Bennett.

“This is kind of in line with our mission, to try to do what we can to make the world a better place, using books as the catalyst,” said Bennett.

He adds “as long as there is interest, we’ll keep doing it.”

More information on the program is available at www.bennettsbookstore.com/freebooks.