Daycare Delivery Program

This program was launched in the summer of 2024 after a successful spring fundraising campaign to purchase a pre-owned delivery van.  It was an instant success, delivering 6,485 books to 11 daycare centers in Camden and Trenton within the first month. This program coordinates the delivery of new and gently used age appropriate books to area daycare centers, Head Start Programs, pre-schools, child development centers and early learning centers.  We encourage the staff to freshen up their onsite libraries and give the books to the children and families they serve to build their own home libraries.  If you are a daycare center or pre-school in the Philly/Camden/Trenton/Atlantic City areas,  please fill out our book request form here.

BookSmiles Book Fair
​3 for Free Program

BookSmiles will partner with your school and provide enough books for your students to pick out 3 books for free.  Unlike other book fairs, ALL students can participate and take home free books.
Click here for details, criteria, and to sign up.

Non-profit Partners

BookSmiles partners with other area nonprofit organizations and social agencies to provide books to the children they serve.  Looking to partner with BookSmiles?  Contact our Executive Director Larry Abrams, [email protected]

A few of our partners are:
  • ShareFood Philadelphia
  • ​Philabundance
  • Mighty Writers
  • Fathers Read 365
  • Cradles to Crayons
  • Mitzvah Circle
Recent testimonial:   "I picked up a few boxes of books from you on Tuesday, and I have to tell you that our children who came to our program today were so excited to see all the different books and even more thrilled when we told them they could keep the ones they wanted!! Thank you again for all that you do and providing books to children. As an avid reader myself as a child, it makes my heart happy to see kids still enjoy reading. "
In Service, 
Monique J.  Jones, MSM
Program Manager-Family Life Center (FLC) & Fresh Start Program (FSP) Center For Family Service
Recent Testimonial: "Thank you so much for partnering with us to bring books to our neighbors! I've been tearing up with joy all day as I unpack boxes because the books are in such good shape and such great stories. I can't wait to start measuring the impact of our partnership in the new year, but I wanted to take a moment to share my gratitude with you for your agility in getting books to us ahead of the holidays."
Ali Stefanik
Assistant Director of Neighbor Experience Community Food Bank of New Jersey

Teacher Take Program

The BookSmiles Teacher Take program makes it easy and fun for educators to stock up on quality books of all levels.  Imagine an all-you-can-eat buffet combined with a children's bookstore!  With a $25 annual donation, educators can withdraw from the Book Bank, hand-picking up to 100 + books per visit for the entire school year. Teachers serving Title 1 schools and those new to the profession are especially encouraged to visit, so they can give books away to students who need them most. For a nominal donation, schools and districts can arrange to have pallets of books delivered!

We distribute 20,000 books each month, on average, from our Teacher Take program.   

Are you a teacher in the New Jersey/Philadelphia region and would like to participate?  Register here.
Teacher Take Testimonials:  Click here!

Volunteer Sorting

Volunteer sorters are critical to our success.  Since 2018, we have had hundreds of volunteers totaling over 3,000 volunteer sorting hours.  Individuals, groups and corporate teams are invited to sign up to volunteer.  Click here!

Read The World
Since 2020, we have partnered with organizations that export our overflow books abroad.  
To date, we've partnered with organizations who have sent books to:  Dominican Republic, South Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, and Jamaica!

In 2024, we established a partnership with Books for Africa, a nonprofit that accepts our overflow by the tractor trailer-load, processes it, and exports to 55 African countries.

Responsible Recycling Initiative

Did you know that more than 300 million books end up in landfill sites every year?
​
We make every effort to find a new home for the books you donate.  However, sometimes a book has been so loved that we just need to say good-bye.  Our good-byes are not forever.  Through our new recycling initiatives, BookSmiles keeps all books from heading to landfills.  Our Responsible Recycling partnership with Newman Paperboard turns unwanted books into renewed materials, maybe even your next new book!

Our first collection site in Philadelphia was set up last month and already the books are coming in!  In partnership with Newman Paperboard, BookSmiles staff will monitor and collect donations from the bin on a weekly basis and take the books back to our Pennsauken facility.  Books that are too worn and of no value will be responsibly recycled by our partners at Newman Paperboard into possibly new books, game boards and a host of other products.  Many townships cannot take hardcover books in their weekly recycling, thus these books end up in landfills.  Do the right thing and keep books out of landfills. Donate your encyclopedias, library discards, magazines, and newspapers to us. ​

Speaking Engagements

​As the passionate founder of BookSmiles, Larry Abrams has been sought out to speak before organizations dedicated to literacy and education.  Click for more info.