WASHINGTON: The Tata group has extended its philanthropic efforts to the United States, where it is bidding to acquire Ford's Landrover and Jaguar automobile brands, to distribute 65,000 new books to children in need.Officials of Tata Group North America distributed the first batch of books to second grade students from Dodge Park Elementary School in Landover, Maryland as part of First Book's mission to provide new books to disadvantaged children.The six Tata Group companies had in 2007 extended support to First Book, an award-winning nonprofit organization.

The combined support of Tata Sons, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Interactive Systems, Eight O'Clock Coffee, Tata Communications and Corus, will allow First Book to distribute 65,000 new books, valued at USD260,000, to programs serving children in need throughout the United States, the company said in a release.

"The Tata Group has a long heritage of focusing on education in the communities in which it operates. We believe that doing good is doing good business and this is a good example of how we use our resources constructively to invest in future generations," said David Good, chief representative, The Tata Group North America.

Tata Interactive Systems also helped First Book design a new online network that will enable it to communicate more effectively with its 50,000 partners and donors. Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book, thanked the company for its support."As part of the Tata Group, TCS continues to carry on the tradition and values of giving back to the communities in which we operate," said Surya Kant, president of TCS NA.

"We are proud to be doing our part to ensure that the youth of America are getting the knowledge they need to succeed in the world of tomorrow."