Eat. Learn. Play. Brings Holiday Cheer to Oakland Students Through Free Book Fairs Across 47 OUSD Schools
In Partnership with Rubrik, the 13th Annual ‘Christmas with the Currys’ Celebrates Literacy, Community, and Joy this Holiday Season
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oakland, CA – December 8, 2025
Throughout December, Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is bringing the joy of reading to thousands of Oakland elementary students through the 13th annual Christmas with the Currys, a beloved holiday tradition rooted in generosity, community and joyful learning. From December 1-19, the Oakland-based foundation will host free, holiday-themed book fairs at 47 public elementary schools across the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), giving more than 17,000 students the opportunity to browse, explore and choose four brand-new, age-appropriate, and culturally affirming books to take home this holiday season.
This year marks one of the largest Christmas with the Currys celebrations to date, with Rubrik, a Security and AI operations company, as the lead sponsor. More than 600 volunteers, including employees from Rubrik and other partner organizations, community groups, and Eat. Learn. Play.’s dedicated volunteer network, will join Stephen and Ayesha in helping students select books that reflect their interests and imaginations. More than 68,000 books will be placed directly into the hands of Oakland children, turning their holiday seasons into a celebration of reading, curiosity and joy as students build their own home libraries.
“Christmas with the Currys has always been about spreading joy, creating moments that spark imagination, and encouraging kids to dream big. This year, we’re excited to bring holiday book fairs to schools across Oakland,” said Stephen and Ayesha Curry, co-founders of Eat. Learn. Play. “Giving kids access to choosing books that truly excite them helps build confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of reading. We’re grateful for our incredible volunteers and partners, especially Rubrik, for helping us create such a meaningful experience for thousands of students.”
The citywide celebration underscores Eat. Learn. Play.’s deep commitment to advancing literacy and closing the reading gap in Oakland. Last year, the foundation announced a $25 million investment supporting one-on-one professional tutoring and the implementation of a new comprehensive literacy strategy across OUSD. Focusing on advancing reading and writing proficiency for OUSD students, this will provide approximately 10,000 tutoring spots for elementary school students who are significantly behind in reading, with the support and programs they need to thrive. This year’s book fairs represent a significant milestone in that ongoing work, providing nearly every elementary student in OUSD with access to books that inspire and reflect their identities, interests and voices.
“Christmas with the Currys is a reminder of what’s possible when a community comes together,” said Chris Helfrich, CEO of Eat. Learn. Play. “With the support of Rubrik and all our partners and volunteers, thousands of students will end the year with new books, new pride in their reading journeys, and a reminder that their community believes in and supports them.”
“This incredible tradition reflects the best of Oakland in kindness, generosity, service, and joy,” said OUSD Interim Superintendent Denise Saddler. “Bringing free book fairs to 47 elementary schools in our district demonstrates Eat. Learn. Play.’s continued commitment to our students’ literacy, imagination, and success. We are deeply grateful to the Currys, their foundation, and the volunteers and partners who make this possible.”
This year’s event also marks the launch of a new partnership between Eat. Learn. Play. and Rubrik, which has invested significantly to strengthen the foundation’s work across hunger relief, literacy resources and support, and access to sports and play. Rubrik’s partnership is helping ensure students have access not only to books, but also to joyful experiences that support their growth and learning.
“At Rubrik, we believe in more than technology; we believe deeply in the power of learning and the responsibility we have to uplift the communities where we live, work, and dream,” said Bipul Sinha, CEO, Chairman, and Founder of Rubrik. “Kicking off our extended partnership with the Eat. Learn. Play. foundation at Christmas with the Currys is just the start. Our commitment extends beyond December, focusing on expanding the resources that empower children to learn, thrive, and live their best lives.”
This year’s Christmas with the Currys is made possible through the support of a village of corporate and community partners, including Safeway Foundation, who generously supplied $50,000 in Safeway gift cards to help provide food for the families at Garfield Elementary this holiday season. Their contribution is complemented by Kaiser Permanente, Workday, Joie, Lineage, All Hands & Hearts, DGDG Does Good, Gilead Foundation, Ghirardelli Chocolate, PG&E Corporation Foundation, Rakuten, Ripple, Golden State Warriors, Gusto, and 2K Foundations; all whose collective efforts ensure that every student feels celebrated and supported this holiday season.
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About Eat. Learn. Play.
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child, paving the way for amazing kids and opening doors to bright futures. Founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry in 2019, Eat. Learn. Play. launched with a focus on improving the lives of kids and families in Oakland, the Bay Area and across the country. Rooted in three of the most vital pillars for a healthy childhood—nutrition, education and physical activity—Eat. Learn. Play. is working to ensure that every child in Oakland has access to the nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive; resources to learn and love to read; and safe places and equitable opportunities to play. Follow Eat. Learn. Play. on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
About Rubrik
Rubrik (RBRK), the Security and AI Operations Company, leads at the intersection of data protection, cyber resilience, and enterprise AI acceleration. Rubrik Security Cloud delivers complete cyber resilience by securing, monitoring, and recovering data, identities, and workloads across clouds. Rubrik Agent Cloud accelerates trusted AI agent deployments at scale by monitoring and auditing agentic actions, enforcing real-time guardrails, fine-tuning for accuracy and undoing agentic mistakes. For more information, please visit www.rubrik.com and follow @rubrikInc on X (formerly Twitter) and Rubrik on LinkedIn.
Eat. Learn. Play. Contacts:
Tom Dietz | tom@midnight-dawn.com | C: 303-506-2228
Stephen Baruch | stephen@midnight-dawn.com | C: 631-388-1367