Saturday brings an opportunity for parents and children to immerse themselves in a story – and to help hundreds of Warren County children do so throughout the year.

We’re talking, of course, about the Jefferson Defrees Family Center’s annual storybook breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday at the center, 207 Second Ave., Warren.

There are a lot of literacy initiatives in Warren County. Ruby Wiles, founder and director of Allegheny Creations and Free Books for Kids Town, a non-profit whose mission is children’s literacy and education, hosts several events throughout the year, all with the goal of providing books that match children’s interests and spark their love of learning.

The Storybook Breakfast boosts literacy, too, by partnering with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library About 870 Warren County children receive books each month from the Imagination Library at a local cost of about $27,000 a year. That cost is paid through community sponsorships, grants and fundraising events like the Storybook Breakfast.

Early childhood literacy is an important building block for children. That’s particularly true in high poverty areas where access to books can sometimes be difficult. We’re lucky here to have people like Ruby Wiles and the Jefferson Defrees Family Center and its partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Community support for these types of programs is crucial for hundreds of Warren County children – and Saturday is the next opportunity to show our support.

To learn more about Wiles and her Free Books for Kids Town, visit FreeBooksKidsTown.com. For more information on how to participate in the Imagination Library program, visit www.jdfamilycenter.org/new-page-1.