First Book Canada has expanded its distribution across Alberta by donating over 40, 000 new books to children in Edmonton this week “ the first time the charity has visited that city.

The Toronto-based organization aims to address literacy by providing new books to children from low-income families. While it has made several successful distributions in Calgary, the Edmonton donation has allowed the charity to reach children in the northern part of Alberta, says executive director Tom Best in a press release:

We have been overwhelmed by the significant number of schools and community-based programs in the Edmonton area who have registered. … So often these truly are the very first books the children get to call their own and we know that when a child holds a book and experiences the joy a story brings, it awakens a passion for learning that delivers the promise of a better life.

Best says for this delivery, First Book Canada partnered with the Edmonton Catholic School Board, which allowed the charity to work out of its storage warehouse. The books come from Scholastic Canada’s ClassroomsCare program, which encourages schools to help donate books to those who need them most.

This marks another expansion into Western Canada for First Book Canada. The charity announced its first Manitoba distribution in May.