A recent donation from a group of sororities and fraternities and a local foundation will help the Suffolk Literacy Council solve a couple of salient problems.

The Suffolk Literacy Council historically has helped adults learn to read — or learn to read better — through volunteer tutors. In recent years the council also has branched into helping adults boost their math skills for everyday use as well as other areas.

But one problem it has always run into has been finding things for learners to practice that are at their reading level and yet not made for children. Some adults may feel belittled when they’re reading a story meant for kids, and material geared toward youngsters may not hold their interest very well, either.

Another important area in which the council has struggled is getting tutors to go through the training. As a result of a partnership with the Suffolk Public Library, the council will soon be developing a self-paced, online training module for tutors so that they do not have to take a huge time commitment for a day of training.

The Ricks, Benn and Richards Foundation, along with local members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, donated more than $1,200 along with supplemental reading books to the literacy council.

This generous gift will be of great benefit to the students and tutors of the Suffolk Literacy Council. It may come as a surprise to many in the community that there are adults here in Suffolk who cannot read or do not read at a sufficient level for their jobs or for their personal lives. But the Suffolk Literacy Council is helping these people gain reading skills every day, and we are thankful for the great job that they do.

We’re also thankful for groups like those mentioned above, which go out of their way to help the community in a variety of ways. Congratulations to the men and women of these groups for their show of community support.