MESA, AZ - U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell donated 130 books he obtained from the Library of Congress to a homeless shelter in Mesa Wednesday.

A New Leaf's La Mesita Family Homeless Shelter, a non-profit organization, accepted the donation at the morning event.

"As a former teacher, I know how important it is to make sure our youth and families have the resources and supplies necessary for learning," said Mitchell. "A quality education is a priority in our local communities, and reading helps not only improve literacy, but also build fundamental skills for the future."

The five boxes of books include children's literature, young adult fiction, history and reference books, self-help and academic textbooks.

They are all recent titles and in excellent condition.

The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C periodically makes surplus supplies available to Members of Congress to distribute to schools, non-profits and public libraries on a first-come-first-served basis.

Mitchell's office has been collecting the books for several weeks.

He chose La Mesita for the initial donation after visiting the shelter last year, along with Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, to kick-off the "United We Serve" national volunteer initiative.