​It's a good day when Congressman Donald Norcross, Commissioner Melinda Hopkins Kane, and Cherry Hill Mayor Susan Shin Angulo tour the Book Bank with the 2020 and 2021 New Jersey Teachers of the Year, Angel Santiago 2020-2021 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year and Kimberly Dickstein Hughes.
A big thanks to Congressman Norcross donating overstock children's books from The Library of Congress!

Congressman Donald Norcrossand I are discussing a A Fish Out Of Water by Helen Palmer. Did you know she was Dr. Seuss' wife? Something clicked, because we both LOVED this book growing up. Books forge connections.

The Congressman asked me in front of the group why I thought actual paper books are better for young children than the electronic types. How you think I answered?
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So grateful for the visit and that he donated books from The Library of Congress' surplus books program. Who's been to the Library of Congress and what sticks?

Congressman Andy Kim came to visit the Book Bank on a recent Sunday giveaway.  He and his family helped sort! 

​It was great having BookSmiles Board Members, BookSmiles Ambassadors Jake and Connor, the Medford Democrat Club, Mighty Writers Executive Director Leila Jackson, and loads of other friends, supporters and volunteers ALL TOGETHER.  

Food deserts and book deserts are insidious and intertwined. Let's irrigate them!

After 14 months, we had our first book fair while hitting a 500,000 book-giveaway milestone! It took us four years to get here, happening at South Philadelphia's John H. Taggart Elementary School - 2,100 books given away! We will hit a million in under two years.

Scroll through the pics and see Exective Director Larry Abrams receiving from board member Janet Edelstein a BIG BOOK celebrating a BIG NUMBER!

Look for Larry next to David Hensel, a teacher-visionary at Taggart determined to grant each child at Taggart a 50-book library of their own. Teachers, write to larry@booksmiles.org if you share David's vision.
And finally, see young readers selecting their own books! Together we can create the next generation of
Nobel Prize winners!
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Visit our website to see how you can irrigate book deserts by redistributing book-wealth! www.booksmiles.org

We need a delivery truck, now that we're palletizing massive amounts of children's books to give to our partners and picking up 10,000 donated books at a time.  Hundreds of babies and kids living in book deserts will be able to have dozens of books of their own.

Do you know people and organizations who can partner with us?  We are open to co-branding for particularly generous sponsors.  This is a truck that will be eventually be seen by hundreds of thousands of people!

BookSmiles is based out of Cherry Hill, NJ. So it's extra-special when Mayor Susan Shin Angulo and Captain Glatz help open our latest location at the Cherry Hill Municipal Building. Here we are with board members Kathy Bay Judge and Mel Zimmerman. Clear off all those children's books collecting dust! Don't let them get yellow and brittle!
Take larger donations (several cases/books for adults included) to the Booksmiles Book Bank- 1879 Old Cuthbert Road,#33 in Cherry Hill to our 24/7 collection bin.

Here's something new with our distribution! Karen, our Program Coordinator, gave away over 1,500 books to employees at the Jacent Strategic Merchandising Distribution Facility in Cinnaminson. Many employees have children and grandchildren whose schools are full remote. Why should kids go without books?!
Want to spread free books in a business, like Karen? Ask us how. Contact karen@booksmiles.org

Brenda Fitzgerald of Williamstown NJ recently created a Little Free Library
in memory of her sweet girl Mary Ann. Her husband built it and her sister painted it. Zoom in on the art!
Brenda's community donated so many books that she quickly ran out of room, so she passed the overflow along to BookSmiles. Please contact us if you can help irrigate book deserts. We have tens of thousands of books you can pass along to children in need.

​https://www.facebook.com/maryannslittlefreelibrary/