Happy Meals at McDonald's this month will feature books instead of toys and to kick off a month of literacy, local owners and operators of the fast-food chain donated thousands of books to San Antonio's new Pre-K 4 SA program.
Local McDonald's owners and operators like Ned and Fabiola Stagg are giving 3,000 books to the program's children, and 7,000 to kids at schools throughout the city.
"These books bring each character and their adventures to life while delivering a nutritional message that is relatable and fun for kids," said Ned Stagg to a room full of people gathered inside a conference room at the North Side center.
Mayor Julián Castro said literacy and excitement for learning takes a village and he congratulated McDonald's for the donation.
"The truth is that nobody can do it alone," he said. "The student can't do it alone. The parent can't do it alone. City Hall can't do it alone. It takes everybody working together to have a well educated community and the business community has a large role to play and I'm glad that the small business owners are playing that role."
Castro read to the children following the announcement. Pre-K 4 SA CEO Kathy Bruck said the restaurant is known by children and makes that an easy way to reach them.
McDonald's will be offering books in its Happy Meal through November.
