Panther Valley Elementary students will once again have access to thousands of books thanks to the charitable arm of Ametek Inc.

Ametek, which operates a facility in Nesquehoning, is now in its 14th year of providing grant funding so the district can participate in the "100 Book Challenge," an educational initiative from the American Reading Company.Ametek's donation provides the school with thousands of trade books and e-books for school and home use, incentives for reader, and ongoing training for teachers.Students are challenged to read 150 hours per year with books provided by the grant. Each classroom in grades K-3 will have rotating libraries of over 300 books. Every student will be immersed in a reading culture and have books to take home and enjoy. The focus of the grant partnership is to provide access to books and support reading growth.The grant also includes community service volunteers from Ametek Chemical Products in Nesquehoning. Ametek employee volunteers are trained to read to or with students and serve as mentors. The volunteers also participate in annual celebrations that award medals to readers who have accomplished their reading goals.The Ametek Foundation is the principal funding entity for the charitable contributions of Ametek Inc., which operates a plastics manufacturing facility on Mountain Avenue in Nesquehoning. The foundation has long supported efforts to improve early childhood literacy through its support of programs, such as ACTION 100, at schools and libraries near Ametek plants and operations. Ametek Inc. is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with its headquarters in Berwyn.American Reading Company is a diverse, mission-driven, woman-owned business based in King of Prussia. Built and run by education activists, American Reading Company is a partner of 5,320 schools and 1,070 districts in 50 states. Its team helps strengthen district and school capacity at every level by placing literacy and agency at the heart of school transformation, through expertly curated classroom libraries, thematic inquiry core curriculum, K-12 reading instruction and assessment and teacher and leader learning.