SUQUAMISH — Reading aloud with children has been proven to benefit their development exponentially.

The standard target is to read aloud with a child for at least 20 minutes per day. And even though it may not seem like much, those 1,200 seconds can too often get lost in the hectic business of the daily grind.

With that in mind, Suquamish Elementary school is blocking out time in its halls to offer families that opportunity — along with a sandwich and a free book.

The school’s second session of Family Read Together Night will crack open its cover at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday inside the school’s gym.

“(One) of the cool things that we saw last time were just families sitting down to read anywhere,” said Suquamish Elementary learning specialist and event coordinator Jon Torgerson of the October event. “We walked outside and there was a father and daughter sitting on a bench outside reading together with barely enough light to see … everybody was into the reading.”

Next week, families will be welcomed into the school’s gymnasium where the group will first dine on Subway sandwiches before students and parents get the chance to survey a mountain of books, covering three school lunch tables for the best tome they can find.

Then, it’s reading time.

“It’s always been about getting that book that you’re interested in and getting to keep it,” said volunteer book purchaser and co-coordinator Dave Allen.

With an Appendix X grant — which are awarded annually to charitable, non-profit and tribal community programs by the Suquamish Tribe — Allen garnered a host of books during a few trips to the Scholastic Book company’s warehouse in Auburn.

First he returns with a selection of books for review by school librarians, teachers, staff and tribal members. Then, with their input, he travels back to Auburn to pick up three box loads of books to give away — approximately 1,500 titles for $3,500.

“(Scholastic) couldn’t get over the fact that I was coming down there, with cash, and buying books to give away,” Allen said. “Most of the people who buy in bulk (from them) are fund-raising, buying to resell at a higher price.”

But the Suquamish funds pay for free books for the community’s children and families to be given out at different events throughout the year.

“We pick books from kindergarten to mid-level high school,” Allen said. “We want to make sure there is something for all the kids that are there.”

This will be the school’s second of three Family Read Together Nights scheduled for the year, the next is set for May, Torgerson said. There are also three additional book giveaways in the works, Allen said.

“This sense of ownership is important and different than just checking a book out at the school library,” Allen said.