Northgate Market volunteers inspire young readers

Northgate González Market associates and top executives volunteered to read to students at 40 elementary schools throughout Southern California, helping spark curiosity, imagination, and a love of books as part of the Read Across America initiative.

“What better way to encourage young students to learn and excel academically than to read to them some of our favorite children’s books,” said Oscar González, co-president of Northgate Market. “I am so proud of our associates for volunteering their time to go into the classrooms and read to the kids. Education is one of our company’s top three pillars of focus when giving back to the community.”

According to the Child Mind Institute, reading to young children is an important way to help them build language skills and learn general information about the world. Poor literacy is linked to high school dropout rates, with 6 out of 10 children in California unable to read proficiently by third grade in some studies.

“We were thrilled that Northgate Market associates came onto our campus to celebrate Read Across America with our students. Northgate demonstrates a deep commitment to our community, and we enjoyed celebrating books and literacy with them,” said Brad Rumble, principal at Esperanza Elementary School in Los Angeles.

Beyond the classroom visits, associates also donated children’s books to participating school libraries, helping increase access to educational resources. The company also distributed $3 coupons for students’ families to redeem at Northgate Market.