It isn’t too late to give a book and benefit a child.

The ISU Golden Key International Honor Society’s second annual book drive began March 26 and will run until Friday, said Melissa Gold, Community Service co-chair. The majority of the books will be donated to Willson-Beardshear Elementary, 920 Carroll Ave.

“The book drive is aimed at collecting books appropriate for lower-elementary aged children, but all donations are accepted,” said Lisa Shearrer, co-chair of the event.

Gold, junior in anthropology and Spanish, said Willson-Beardshear is in need of the books and will benefit greatly from the contributions. “Lots of kids at Willson-Beardshear are from low-income families,” she said. “It is my understanding that they also have a large special education program, so lots of the money that does come in goes to other things, not the library or books.”

The international organization supports America’s Promise, which works with elementary schools, said Rory Gopaul, president of Golden Key at Iowa State. This association encouraged them to sponsor the book drive.

“Golden Key held the event last year and collected over 600 books from the Ames community,” said Shearrer, junior in animal science. “So far [this year] we have more than 50 books. We hoped to exceed last year’s drive of about 600 books, but at the rate we’re going now, we’ll probably collect 100.”

Gopaul, senior in finance, said they plan to continue the event.

“We’ll continue next year,” he said. “It’s kind of becoming an annual thing for us now.”

Until Friday, books will be collected at Hastings Books, Music, and Video, 620 Lincoln Way; Fareway Stores, Inc., 619 Burnett Ave.; Firehouse Books, 405 Kellogg Ave.; and Golden Key’s office in the East Student Office Space at the Memorial Union.

“The drive ends this Friday, but if people want to donate books after the drive ends, they can contact us,” Gold said. “We’re not going to stop accepting books just because the drive is over.”

Shearrer said this year’s drive will culminate April 19. “We will be holding a reception at Willson-Beardshear on April 19 to distribute the books and read to the children,” she said. “We will have plenty of books for the kids, but not nearly as many as we were able to give them last year.”

Golden Key International Honor Society consists of juniors and seniors from all majors in the top 15 percent of their class, Gold said. “We’re an honors society, but we try to be more of an actual organization and club than just an award,” she said.