Scott Van Duzer, owner of Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce, is turning his restaurant into more than a place for a slice of pepperoni — it's becoming a free library for St. Lucie County kids.
Van Duzer runs the Read to Succeed program, now in its fourth year, which partners with schools across the county to get books into children's hands.
Each school gets an assigned Wednesday night. Families are invited to the restaurant, and kids who read a chapter book earn a free slice of pizza and a Pepsi, then take five books home.
"Each school in St. Lucie County is given a night," Van Duzer said. "They're always on Wednesdays. So that Wednesday, whatever school it is, they'll make a flyer about the event. They'll pass it out, and they'll pick up a line with the parents."
Over the past three years, the program has reached about 10,000 children and distributed roughly 32,000 books, VanDuzer said.
The response has grown well beyond the Wednesday night events. Van Duzer said books now arrive at the restaurant daily, donated by community members, prompting him to convert the restaurant's patio into a dedicated reading space.
"I just got 10,000 books delivered over there," Van Duzer said. "We're closing it in, air-conditioning it, and the kids can come by and pick up a book any time of the year for free. No questions asked."
Van Duzer said the program is aimed at closing a gap in access to reading material between lower- and higher-income households.
"In low-income homes, there's one book for every 300 kids," Van Duzer said. "In middle- to high-income homes, there's 13 books for every child."
Despite the scale the program has reached, Van Duzer said he tries not to dwell on its impact.
"I'm so busy, I really don't think about it much," he said. "The need is so great. And, like I said, when a kid comes in and they see the books and I let them read them, and I say, go ahead, take a couple home — just to see the smile on their face, that's really what it's all about."