Old Hammondtown School was the scene of a family game night on Friday for the first Bingo for Books.

Sponsored by the Mattapoisett PTA, the evening was an opportunity to get out of the house on a cold night and raise money for the organization's work at Old Hammondtown and Center Schools.

The night was an alternative to a traditional fundraiser, said PTA Vice-President Krissy Higgins. "Anything to get away from just buying candy bars. It's something to do that's cost friendly," she said.

Five dollars bought each kid a bingo board and bag of pennies, cheerios, or buttons to cover up their numbers. Families could also buy bags of popcorn, partially donated by Wareham's Flagship Cinema.

Bingo winners got to choose from a table of books that ranged from kids titles to cookbooks, many of which were donated by Rochester Resident Jason Zutuat.

Many of the kids staked out the books before the games began. Claire Barry said she wanted a book on space. "I'd say I go for realistic fiction," she said.

While many people would go home with a prize, Higgins and fellow PTA member Debra Nettles said the bigger purpose for the event was to help pay for classroom needs as well as for special events such as the recent visit of the New England Percussionist Ensemble. The "SOS funds" also offset the cost of transportation for school trips.

The PTA hopes to keep doing more creative events for kids and their families that are also affordable, said Higgins.

"We want everything to be fun and not so structured," she said.

Correction: This article originally stated that Rick Riordan donated books for bingo winners. This has been corrected to Jason Zutuat of Book Enterprise Inc.