The Ferguson Library and the Stamford Public Education Foundation gave away 4,500 books Friday to children who also benefit from the free and reduced lunch program during the pandemic.

The books will be distributed over the next week to kids in kindergarten through eighth grade who stop for grab-and-go meals at the 14 distribution sites in Stamford for the schools' free and reduced lunch program.

Stamford Public Education Foundation provided 110,000 meals to families in need thanks to community partner Chartwells.

But Development and Communications Director Lynn Tusa says they wanted to do something a little extra special for families, so they are giving away the books.

"We want to be sure that students aren't losing all they've gained in their reading habits," Tusa says.

Each site will receive 300 books, bagged in sets of two and sorted by grade level.

The books are from Scholastic Books, which recently closed its Danbury warehouse and donated the age-appropriate books to state libraries.