The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development will launch the 18th annual Books for the Black Belt campaign on February 5. UACED encourages University of Alabama students, faculty, staff and local residents to donate K-12 books to the campaign until March 1.
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The primary goal of UACED’s campaign is to collect more than 40,000 books to provide one book to each child in the Black Belt. 

UACED will accept donations of new or gently used classic and award-winning books frequently found on school reading lists for K-12 children.

​Donors can bring books to donation boxes on campus at: 

• Bidgood Hall | Main Entrance, 500 Colonial Drive 
• Alston Hall | Lower Level, 361 Stadium Drive
• Hewson Hall | Southeast Stairwell, 380 Stadium Drive
• Honors Hall | All Floors, 533 6th Ave 
• Carmichael Hall | 520 Colonial Drive
• Wade Hall |  620 Judy Bonner Drive
• Autherine Lucy Hall | 902 University Boulevard
• The Reese Phifer Hall Rotunda | 2nd Floor, 901 University Boulevard
• Sigma Chi | 180 University Boulevard 
• Phi Kappa Sigma | 430 Smith Woods Circle
• Ridgecrest South | 905 2nd Street 
• Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life | 2500 Student Center, 751 Campus Drive West
• Lucy's Legacy & BRIDGE Office | Office 205 Russell Hall, 504 University Boulevard
• First Year Experience Office | Office 302 Russell Hall, 504 University Boulevard
• The Student Government Association Office | 2617 Student Center, 751 Campus Drive West
• Center for Service & Leadership | 1100 Student Center, 751 Campus Drive West 
• Crossroads Civic Engagement Center | 3617 Student Center, 751 Campus Drive West
• Center for Community-Based Partnerships | 1102 Capital Hall, 270 Kilgore Lane

Donors can also bring books to off-campus donation boxes at:

• Alberta Baptist Church | 2210 University Boulevard
• Warner Transportation Museum | 1901 Jack Warner Parkway
• Ernest & Hadley Booksellers | 1928 7th Street
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of West AL | 2721 6th Street
• YMCA of Tuscaloosa (Downtown and Benjamin Barnes Branch) | 2300 13th Street OR 2939 18th Street

Additionally, donors can drop off books and monetary donations at UACED located at:

621 Greensboro Avenue​, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 | Open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. 

Or monetary donations can be mailed to:

ATTN: Books for the Black Belt Box 870138 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487

Please make checks payable to "The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development" and put "Books for the Black Belt" as the memo. 

If you would like to donate but are not local to Tuscaloosa, we recommend purchasing a bundle of pre-packaged used books from The Book Bundler (www.thebookbundler.com). The Book Bundler allows you to select books based on a certain age group, genre, and condition of the books. If you chose to donate via The Book Bundler, please email UCED (uced@ua.edu) to ensure we recieve it. Ship your book bundle to our office at:

The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development, 621 Greensboro Avenue Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

For more information, click here!