David Jones has launched a fundraising campaign to raise awareness of the Indigenous literacy gap and raise money for its charity partner The Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation (ALNF).

As part of the nation-wide campaign, which kicks off in the lead up to National Reconciliation Week, David Jones will donate 10 per cent of each book purchase to ALNF from the 22nd to 29th May to ALNF to fund a life-changing literacy program.

To further support the campaign, David Jones has collaborated with Byron Bay Cookie Company to produce a charity cookie in aid of ALNF. The Byron Bay Choc Chunk Charity Cookie is available at every David Jones point-of-sale, and on its website, until the 29th of May with $2 from the purchase of each cookie going directly to ALNF.

David Jones Ambassador Adam Goodes said, “Being able to read and write is a basic human right, and yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are three times less likely to meet the national minimum literacy and numeracy standards. ALNF educates the teachers and aunties, enabling the community to help itself, and in doing so, enables generations of our children to write their own bright future. I’m proud to work with an iconic brand like David Jones that is putting its hand up to highlight the problem and, more importantly, be part of the solution.”

David Jones Chief Operating Officer, David Thomas added, “The Good Business Journey is part of our DNA and we believe it’s important to give back to the community and, in doing so, have a meaningful social impact. We’re proud to support the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation who are among the change-makers in our community. ALNF’s powerful literacy programs empower whole communities, providing qualifications for the adults who can then provide literacy and numeracy support for generations of children, creating sustainable positive change. Every dollar we raise through this campaign will make a genuine difference and help to close the Indigenous literacy gap.”

This year the money raised during David Jones’ ALNF campaign will be used to support the implementation of ALNF’s life-changing literacy programs at a disadvantaged preschool and long day care centre servicing the Indigenous community of Forster, NSW.