Queens teens collect books for kids in need

A group of teenagers teamed up with a nonprofit to collect and donate books.  Photo courtesy of Hindi’s Libraries

By Rachel Vick

A group of high schoolers from Forest Hills and Rego Park teamed up last month to collect hundreds of books for a non-profit that distributes the donations across the country.

The eleven teenagers from eight highschools collected more than 700 new and gently used books from across the city, Long Island and New Jersey for Hindi’s Libraries.

“This drive was coordinated by kids who have been childhood friends, and we were encouraged by the idea to spread the spirit of reading by giving the opportunity to other kids to discover themselves and find that one special book that creates a magic is their life,” said Fiorello H.Laguardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts student Saanj Mehta.

“When we came across Hindi’s Libraries, we thought ‘this is the perfect way to bring a smile to children’s faces,’” Mehta, whose mother came across the organization online, said.

The books collected by Aarush Khanna, Yash Shah, Kushagra Sharma, Neev Sheth, Abhishek Pandey, Yana Gupta, Tanisha Lakhi, Vishva Mehta, Shama Gandhi and Seher Mehta will be sorted before being sent to partner organizations across the 50 states and various countries.

Since being founded in 2018 in memory of Dr. Hindi Krinsky, who died suddenly at 32, the organization has collected over 120,000 books.

“I am so grateful to all of these amazing teens who chose to spend their time being a part of something special and for supporting our mission,” said Hindi’s Libraries co-founder Leslie Gang. “It’s very heartwarming to see the next generation understanding the importance of kindness, giving and collaboration.”