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/

​HUGE MILESTONE ALERT!
Willingboro, New Jersey educator Sherri Bresette Ahlers went big, telling us that she needed 12,000 books in one swoop. Here are pick-up pics (thanks Derek and Anthony for loading 6 packed pallets). Sherri and her colleagues will distribute the books to thousands of kids in the district before the holidays. A leader in the BookSmiles tribe, Sherri also installed a permanent bin in front of her home in Lawrenceville, NJ.
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If libraries and bookstores are somewhat holy places for you, then you understand what we do and our mission to spread book wealth to book deserts. Please give and help with $ or books. Hit the DONATE tab here: https://www.booksmiles.org/

Charles Ellison, thank you for helping amplify our mission: irrigating book deserts! Have a listen!

We are so grateful to have an active network of educators and social workers taking books to give away to the children they serve. These are people who have the infrastructure to safely and efficiently distribute books to several hundred students.  And we've had a legion of daycare providers taking board-books to families with babies! Featured here are Amanda Fry, an elementary school principal in Beverly, NJ, Dan McVay, a social worker supervisor for Philadelphia, and 6,000 books waiting to be loaded onto a truck headed to the Camden School District.

Dear Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill
,
A few months ago, Jo-Ann Engle approached us, declaring that the Community Outreach Workers group would collect 2,020 children's books, to shed light during a terrible year. Look closely at the number-signage held up here. They blew the goal away with 3,608 books!
Other houses of worship will see your good work and hopefully match what you've done. Yes, WE CAN literally collect a ton of books during a pandemic and distribute to children in need.

Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques - want to do a drive? E-mail karen@booksmiles.org for more info.
Very gratefully,
​
Larry Abrams
Founder, BookSmiles
www.booksmiles.org

Since your child can't have a traditional birthday, do what Sidney did for his seventh! Let us know here if you like the idea, and SHARE/TAG the post that helps BookSmiles spread book-ownership!

Dear Sidney,
Happy birthday! Thank you so much using your party to do a contactless book drive on your front porch. Your friends and family gathered hundreds of gently used books that will soon go into the hands and homes of babies and kids who have few, if any, of their own.
Instead of asking for presents, you raised over $250, of which $170 gets donated to BookSmiles, with the rest going to your gift card. Way to use the
Kids Can Give Too app. 

http://kidscangivetoo.com/charity/booksmiles
Thanks for inspiring others and for helping to spread book-wealth!

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​The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation received 2,300 books today. Rob Abrams, our summer intern helped shlep!
We picked up 1,300 books from Kingsway Regional middle school teacher Gina Foody who spear-headed a great drive that got cut off when the school got shuttered.
Gently used children's books are flowing in and out of the Book Bank. ASK how you can safely help irrigate book deserts and spread book wealth. TEACHERS: REGISTER HERE for Friday curbside pickup: www.booksmiles.org

Bryce Hill, a medical student at Temple University School of Medicine, graduated from Lindenwold High School. I had his older brother Larry in my English class!

Bryce found the time in his busy schedule to come to the Booksmiles Book Bank today with a U-Haul van to pick up 2,000 books to help irrigate the book desert a literal stone's throw from Temple's campus. Here he is with Karen, our Program Coordinator.
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I am SO HAPPY to work with Bryce (and so proud of him)! Visit our website to see how you can help by donating books, taking books, or donating money so that we can continue our mission.

I love teaching in Lindenwold!

Today, Lindenwold High School students volunteered to return to their Lindenwold's School #4 to distribute 1025 gently used children's books to hundreds of kids and babies, books that had been donated by people in Haddon Heights, Moorestown, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, and Haddonfield.

1025 books gone in 15 minutes flat! Are you a Title 1 teacher/administrator who'd like to have this happen in your school? Message us and we'll arrange it. Free!  This system of fun, rapid distribution happens best when a school has a large percentage of walkers.