Bosacks Speaks Out: Quad Graphics, Magazine Literacy and Meaningful Industrial Kindness

Special people and special companies deserve a shout out of thanks and gratitude from time to time. In this case, I want to bring to your attention the tireless work of John Mennell of MagazineLiteracy.org and Joel Quadracci of Quad Graphics. In my book they are unsung heroes performing necessary acts of kindness valiantly even though behind the scenes.

MagazineLiteracy.org supplies recycled printed products, new magazines, and comics to literacy programs around the country. From their web site comes the following statement: “Why are magazines and comics so special for literacy, you might ask? Promoting literacy establishes a lifelong reading habit. Studies show that holding reading materials in your hands increases learning. Magazines and comic books become familiar and not intimidating. They educate and inspire. Magazines and comic books in hands and homes foster ownership and build self-esteem.”

One of their mottoes is “Literacy ends poverty” -- a noble venture, to say the least.

MagazineLiteracy.org has grassroots distribution capabilities, but they don’t have any logistics capability on a large scale. One of last year’s problems was 200,000 donated Cricket Media magazines sitting in a warehouse down in Des Moines and recently three pallets of NWF Zoobie magazines sitting in a warehouse in Peru, IL.

John told me that Joel Quadracci and the Quad logistics team have picked up magazine pallets and then either delivered them directly to MagazineLiteracy team locations or placed them in Quad warehouses while MagazineLiteracy lined up the receiving end of the literacy programs, and then made deliveries over vast distances.

As an example of 200,000 Cricket Media magazines they delivered 10 pallets to the Greater Chicago Food Depository food bank; 3 pallets to Milwaukee;, 7 pallets the the Fox Cities United Way; 5 or so pallets to Green Bay; a pallet to Toronto, Canada, where they operate a literacy newsstand in a food pantry; and pallets to a Columbus Ohio food pantry network.

John said that by the time MagazineLiteracy.org gets the call, they need a rapid response. He said, “it’s like the perishable food rescued from restaurants that go to food pantries. The opportunities are so valuable to our literacy programs, we have to act quickly to retrieve them.”

John went on to say, “With these and other Quad supported efforts, we’ve moved over a million magazines." John pointed out that "Joel and his team have been so generous, and never flinching, allowing us to have an enormous impact and showing us what’s possible as we reach for meeting our full promise.”

Well, doesn’t that story make you feel good? My thanks to Joel and John for doing this meaningful and impactful philanthropy and for promoting genuine kindness on such a profound human scale. Magazines can help those in need, and perhaps literacy can help to end poverty.

Click here to contact Magazine Literacy

Recycle your magazines and comic books for literacy.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

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