BHS, Inc. Donates Custom Material Handling Equipment to Book-Loving Charity

    ST. LOUIS, MO, September 14, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- BHS, Inc., a leading manufacturer of material handling and battery changing equipment, has donated steel workstations and custom carts to Ready To Learn, a non-profit dedicated to providing free books for kids. The equipment will allow the St. Louis-based non-profit organization to instill area children with a lifelong love of reading.

Ready To Learn donates new and gently used books to children in need. Since 2011, the charity has collected books from a variety of sources and given them to children in low-income neighborhoods. A 2006 study found that middle-income neighborhoods have 13 books per child while low-income neighborhoods have just one book per 300 children. Ready To Learn aims to narrow that tremendous gap.

The charity has done a great job attracting volunteers and finding organizations to donate books. However, the one thing that hampered their efforts was logistics. Appropriate office equipment was in short supply, and that restricted the charity's ability to organize and distribute books.

Ready To Learn reached out to BHS hoping that the company could customize equipment to improve the charity's workflow. After hearing about the non-profit's mission, BHS decided to donate desks and carts to improve the workspace, completely free of charge.

"We're proud that we manufacture heavy-duty office equipment right here in St. Louis," Melissa Bowen, of BHS Marketing, said. "But we know that non-profits may not have the budget for supplies and furniture. We wanted to make sure that Ready To Learn was outfitted to do as much good as possible."

The carts and desks allowed Ready To Learn to reconfigure its office space for maximum productivity. The new setup accommodates more volunteers and allows an improved workflow.

"In the past, we actually had to turn away large volunteer groups, as we did not have a workspace that could accommodate them," Elise Tierney of Ready To Learn said. "That is no longer our reality. [BHS] helped us change the way we are able to reach out to the community, not only by allowing us to access more volunteer help, but also by increasing the productivity of our current volunteers."

The office equipment helped Ready To Learn's distribution process so much that the charity intends to spend their original grant from Crestwood-Sunset Hills Kiwanis Club on more equipment. By continuing to improve infrastructure and organization, the charity can get the most out of its volunteers and donated books.

During the 2016-17 school year, Ready To Learn donated books to almost 4,000 students. With their new equipment, that number should increase in the upcoming year. BHS applauds the work of Ready To Learn and echoes their call: "Let's get St. Louis reading!"

About BHS, Inc.

BHS, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of custom warehouse equipment and material handling equipment based in St. Louis, MO, USA. The company tailors its industry-leading products to customer specifications, focusing on enhancing ergonomics and productivity while providing a complete set of solutions for clients in a variety of industries. Please visit https://www.bhs1.com/ for more information.

About Ready To Learn

Ready To Learn is a St. Louis-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that distributes free books to children in the area. Kids who have greater access to books develop better reading skills, leading to greater academic success. Ready To Learn works with schools in the area to give many children their first-ever book, thereby encouraging a lifelong love of reading. Learn more at http://readytolearnstl.org/.

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