Berks County readers are once again being challenged to help one lucky shelter pet find a forever home simply by reading books.

For the fourth year in a row, Reading District Libraries has launched an initiative called Pages for Pets. The program will sponsor the adoption fee of a shelter pet by encouraging people of all ages to read.

Readers from across the county have until July 24 to successfully read a combined total of 500,000 minutes. Every minute counts toward the financial sponsorship of an adoption at Humane Pennsylvania.

Readers are free to read whatever they choose, including novels, eBooks, audiobooks, comics and graphic novels and newspapers.

Humane Pennsylvania will announce which pet found their forever home thanks to the initiative on Aug. 3.

There are 25 Reading Library District — a state designation — locations throughout Berks. They include the 23 locations of the Berks County Public Libraries System as well as the independent Wyomissing Public Library and Oley Valley Community Library.

Marissa Guidara, youth services district consultant for Reading District Libraries, said that for many young readers the Pages for Pets program may be their first experience participating in a community cause.

“By working together toward a shared goal, participants learn that even small actions can have a meaningful impact,” she said. “It’s a fun way to encourage reading while showing how a community can come together to support a cause they care about.”

Since its launch in 2023, Pages for Pets has inspired thousands of readers across Berks to support local shelter animals through reading. Together, readers have logged more than 1.7 million minutes. Previous sponsored pets have included Agent 007, a senior black cat; Egypt, a 1-year-old pit bull; and Weebles, a 2-year-old American pit bull terrier. All three found forever homes following the program.

In addition to Pages for Pets, each of the 25 library locations in Berks will be hosting their own summer learning programs, with a full schedule of free activities and programs for children, teens and adults.

Readers can track their progress and learn more about the challenge at readingpubliclibrary.org/pages-for-pets.