CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT

PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 1992, WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED OVER 3.4 MILLION BOOKS, WITH MOST GOING TO TITLE 1 SCHOOLS OR TO CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS IN NON-SCHOOL SETTINGS, SUCH AS PUBLIC HEALTH CLINICS, AFTER-SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONS (BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS, ETC.), SHELTERS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WHO ASSIST WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING NEEDS, FOSTER CARE, SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS, DAYCARES, ETC. IN 2025, THE CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT RECEIVED AND PROCESSED 151,134 BOOKS DONATED BY BUSINESSES, PUBLISHERS, AUTHORS, INDIVIDUALS (FROM CURATED WISH LISTS AT BOOKSHOP.ORG (HTTPS://BOOKSHOP.ORG/SHOP/CHILDRENSBOOKPROJECT) AND AMAZON.COM (HTTPS://HTTPS/WWW.AMAZON.COM/HZ/WISHLIST/LS/317FJVMN43M7Q?), AND OUR MAINSTAY - BOOK DRIVES (52 DRIVES IN 2025) (HTTPS://WWW.CHILDRENSBOOKPROJECT.ORG/ORGANIZE-BOOK-DRIVE-SUBPAGE/)), AND DISTRIBUTED APPROXIMATELY 12,000 FREE BOOKS EVERY MONTH TO CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES LIVING IN LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS, AS WELL AS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SHELTERS AND PROGRAMS FOR UNHOUSED CHILDREN, PUBLIC HEALTH CLINICS, CHILD CARE AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS (INCLUDING THOSE WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS) IN THE GREATER BAY AREA AND BEYOND. WHILE WE PRIMARILY SERVE THE GREATER BAY AREA, IN 2025 WE SERVED 36 COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA. BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER ORGANIZATION THAT OFFERS FREE, HIGH-QUALITY, UNLIMITED BOOKS AND LITERACY RESOURCES, SOME EDUCATORS AND ORGANIZATION STAFF DRIVE 4-6 HOUR ROUND TRIPS FROM COUNTIES FAR FROM OUR SAN FRANCISCO BAYVIEW DISTRICT BOOK BANK TO SELECT OUR FREE, QUALITY, UNLIMITED BOOKS FOR THEIR CHILDREN. WITH BOOKS PLACED WITH CHILDREN INDIVIDUALLY AND IN GROUP SETTINGS, THE PROJECT SERVES OVER 265,000 CHILDREN ANNUALLY. BOOK BANK PROGRAM (AGES 0-18): OUR BOOK BANK IN SAN FRANCISCO'S BAYVIEW DISTRICT OFFERS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BOOKS, ALL FREE, UNLIMITED, AND FOR KEEPS. EDUCATORS, ANY ORGANIZATION SERVING UNDER-RESOURCED CHILDREN, AND STORYTIME PROGRAM CHILDREN (ON FIELD TRIPS TO THE BOOK BANK) SELECT BOOKS FROM THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BOOKS AT OUR BOOK BANK. THE BOOK BANK IS DESIGNED LIKE AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE, BUT EVERY BOOK IS FREE. OUR BOOKS ARE FOR CHILDREN AGES 0-18, AND FOR EDUCATORS (WE OFFER TEACHING RESOURCE MATERIALS). WE OFFER BOOKS BY DIVERSE AUTHORS AND FEATURE INCLUSIVE CHARACTERS SO CHILDREN HAVE BOTH A MIRROR THAT REAFFIRMS THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE AND A WINDOW TO OTHERS' PERSPECTIVES. WE PROVIDE BOOKS IN OVER 19 LANGUAGES, AND READING TIPS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, AND MANDARIN. WE ENDEAVOR TO OFFER SPECIALIZED SECTIONS, SUCH AS BOOKS WITH PROTAGONISTS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING. IN 2025, WE PROCESSED 151,134 DONATED BOOKS TO OUR BOOK BANK AND THE CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT DONATED APPROXIMATELY 12,000 BOOKS MONTHLY TO CHILDREN AND SUPPORTED 144 COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND LITERACY EVENTS. READ ALOUD PROGRAM (AGES 0-5): OUR READ ALOUD PROGRAM TRAINS COMMUNITY PARTNERS VIA EXPERT-LED BIMONTHLY WORKSHOPS FOR PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK WITH GROUPS OF PARENTS WITH CHILDREN AGES 0-5, WITH A FOCUS ON EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENT. WE PROVIDE A WRITTEN TRAINING CURRICULUM FOR THESE PROFESSIONALS, EXPERT GUEST LECTURERS, AND THOUSANDS OF FREE NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AGES 0-5 IN A VARIETY OF DIVERSE AND DIFFICULT-TO-SOURCE LANGUAGES, INCLUDING AMHARIC, ARABIC, CHINESE, KOREAN, VIETNAMESE, SPANISH, TAGALOG, AND RUSSIAN, WITH A BROAD RANGE OF CULTURAL AND RACIAL CHARACTER REPRESENTATION. IN 2025, THE READ ALOUD PROGRAM HELD 6 WORKSHOPS, READ ALOUD PARTICIPANTS SERVED THOUSANDS OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN (AGES 0-5), AND THE CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT DONATED THOUSANDS OF FREE BOOKS FOR THESE PARENTS. THE WORKSHOPS AND BOOKS PROVIDED ARE ALL FREE. TEEN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM OUR TEEN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM PROVIDES WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AGES 16 AND OLDER WHO LOVE BOOKS AND READING, EMPOWERING THEM TO SPREAD THAT JOY AMONG THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND BECOME ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN OUR MISSION. IN 2025, 11 TEENS VOLUNTEERED AT THE CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT. THE TEENS WROTE BOOK REVIEWS, ORGANIZED BOOK DRIVES, BUILT BOOK DROPS/SHELVES, PARTICIPATED IN SOCIAL MEDIA WORK, SELECTED AND DELIVERED BOOKS TO PLACES IN THE COMMUNITY WITH LITTLE TO NO ACCESS TO BOOKS, AND BROUGHT BOOKS TO LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SECOND READING PROGRAM OUR SECOND READING PROGRAM PLACES THOUSANDS OF TITLES EACH YEAR IN COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT SAN FRANCISCO WHICH HAVE LITTLE TO NO ACCESS TO BOOKS, TO ENSURE CHILDREN CAN CHOOSE THEIR OWN "FOR KEEPS" BOOKS. IN 2025, WE PROVIDED 58 DELIVERIES OF NEW SECOND READING BOOKSHELVES OR BOOKS IN SAN FRANCISCO NEIGHBORHOODS WITH LITTLE TO NO ACCESS TO BOOKS. ALL BOOKS AND SHELVING ARE PROVIDED FREE TO THE COMMUNITY. STORYTIME PROGRAM OUR STORYTIME PROGRAM OFFERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS TO OUR BOOK BANK FOR CHILDREN TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH PUBLISHED CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS. THE AUTHORS READ ALOUD, HOLD DISCUSSIONS WITH CHILDREN ABOUT READING AND WRITING, SIGN THEIR BOOKS, AND TEACH ILLUSTRATION. WE GIVE THE CHILDREN FREE SKETCH BOOKS WITH LINES FOR TEXT AND COLORED MARKERS TO USE DURING THE FIELD TRIP AND THEN TAKE HOME TO KEEP. THE STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WRITE AND ILLUSTRATE THEIR OWN BOOKS WITH THE PROVIDED ART SUPPLIES. THEY ARE ALSO GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY AFTER MEETING THE AUTHOR TO SELECT FREE BOOKS FROM THE BOOK BANK FOR THEMSELVES, THEIR SIBLINGS, AND TO TAKE THE BOOKS HOME IN TOTE BAGS WE PROVIDE, DECORATED WITH CHILDREN'S ART FROM PREVIOUS FIELD TRIPS. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE STORYTIME FIELD TRIP WAS LED BY CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR MAC BARNETT, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS'S NATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S BOOKS, 2025-2026. IN 2025, WE HELD 5 STORYTIME FIELD TRIPS FOR PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSES AT OUR BOOK BANK AND DONATED APPROXIMATELY 1,000 BOOKS TO THE CHILDREN AND THEIR TEACHERS, ALL OF WHICH THE CHILDREN SELECTED THEMSELVES. THE STORYTIME PROGRAM IS OFFERED ENTIRELY FREE OF CHARGE. COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM SOME ORGANIZATIONS SERVING CHILDREN WHO NEED BOOKS CANNOT COME TO THE BOOK BANK DUE TO ECONOMIC RESTRAINTS. A PROJECT PART-TIME STAFF MEMBER LIAISES WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S STAFF REGARDING THE TYPES OF BOOKS NEEDED FOR THEIR CHILDREN, AND THEN CURATES THOUSANDS OF BOOKS, SELECTING THEM FROM THE BOOK BANK OR PURCHASING BOOKS. A VOLUNTEER OR PART-TIME STAFF MEMBER DELIVERS THE REQUESTED BOOKS AND NEATLY ARRANGE SHELVED BOOKS ON AN ONGOING BASIS (SHELVING PROVIDED FREE AS WELL, IF NEEDED). IN 2025, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS IDENTIFIED AND REGULARLY STOCKED OVER 30 LOCATIONS, INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH CLINICS AND OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WITH BOOKS THAT BEST MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR CONSTITUENCIES. INTERNSHIP PROGRAM COLLEGE STUDENTS GAIN WORK EXPERIENCE AT THE BOOK BANK FOR COLLEGE CREDIT; HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO INTERN AT THE HEADQUARTERS, GAINING WORK EXPERIENCE ACROSS MANY AREAS INCLUDING RESEARCH, RENDERING ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS FOR BOOK DROP BINS (FOR DONATIONS) AND BOOK HOUSES (FOR BOOK DESERTS), AND BUILDING BINS AND BOOK HOUSES, DATA ANALYSIS, WRITING, ETC. IN 2025, 2 INTERNS EARNED COLLEGE CREDIT DURING THE SEMESTER THEY VOLUNTEERED AT THE PROJECT. VOLUNTEER PROGRAM OUR HANDFUL OF PART-TIME STAFF IS AIDED BY VOLUNTEERS WHO HELP WITH THE CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT'S PROGRAMS, E.G., THEY PROCESS AND SORT THE 150,000+ BOOKS DONATED TO US ANNUALLY INTO APPROXIMATELY 90 CATEGORIES (BY AGE, TOPIC, LEVEL, ETC.), WORK WITH STAFF AT STORYTIME FIELD TRIPS, IDENTIFY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WITH LITTLE TO NO ACCESS TO BOOKS, AND STOCK THEM WITH BOOKS CURATED BY OUR STAFF, ETC. IN 2025, VOLUNTEERS DEDICATED ALMOST 1,000 HOURS OF TIME (EXCLUSIVE OF HOURS WORKED BY THE PROJECT'S ALL-VOLUNTEER BOARD).