James Patterson is giving a huge chunk of his money away—again.
Patterson, who’s as prolific a philanthropist as he is an author, has awarded $2.5 million to teachers to help them teach reading to their students, the Associated Press reports.
The novelist is giving $500 grants to 5,000 teachers, and Scholastic Book Clubs, which co-administers the grant program, is matching the money with 500 “bonus points” which can be redeemed for books.
“Whether students are learning virtually at home or in the classroom, the importance of keeping them reading cannot be underscored enough,” Patterson said in a statement. “Over the past six months, reading has certainly helped me cope with the Covid-19 pandemic and I can only hope it will do the same for kids and teachers everywhere.”
On Twitter, Patterson praised the recipients of the grants, writing, “Always easy to give back to these heroes. I wish everyone felt the same. Thank you teachers, now more than ever!”
One of the recipients, Marion Graham, tweeted her gratitude to Patterson, writing, “I am speechless and just so utterly filled with gratitude. Thank you so much @Scholastic @JP_Books!! One of my favorite parts of my job is sharing my love of reading with my students...I think this might help. I am looking forward to finding books that will #EngagetheHeart.”
I am speechless and just so utterly filled with gratitude. Thank you so much @Scholastic @JP_Books!! One of my favorite parts of my job is sharing my love of reading with my students... I think this might help. I am looking forward to finding books that will #EngagetheHeart pic.twitter.com/vVf1qMRnJ6
— Marion Graham (@MarionGrahamCFA) September 29, 2020
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.