Don’t Let the Philly Book Bank Disappear

We Need a New Home — Can You Help?

The Philly Book Bank urgently needs a donated space or funds to help cover rent. After over 20 years and 1 million free books given to Philly's kids, we're at risk of losing our home at MLK High School.

We're seeking:

Please consider donating or helping us secure a new space.

Help the Philly Book Bank Find a New Home

We're the volunteers behind the Philly Book Bank — a grassroots initiative powered by Reading Recycled, dedicated to providing free books to kids and families across Philadelphia. For more than two decades, we've poured our hearts — and funds — into building one of the city's largest collections of free children's books.

Over 1 Million Books Given Away — and Counting

For 20+ years, we've operated out of MLK High School, distributing more than a million books to teachers, families, and community groups. Every book is free. Every volunteer is unpaid. Every child reached is a win.

We've invested every dollar we had in what matters most: books.

However, after losing half of our space, we're facing significant challenges to remain operational — many of which are beyond our control. We had a very productive meeting with the District and MLK High School yesterday and received some assurances that we can remain in the short term. However, our effectiveness in the reduced space and other obstacles remain.

The future of the Philly Book Bank is still at risk — and we need your support.

What We Do — Beyond the Bookshelf

We don't just hand out books — we build literacy-supporting programs for Philly's children:

Sidewalk Libraries: We stock neighborhood book boxes to keep stories accessible 24/7

Books for the Start: We provide books to parenting students in the School District of Philadelphia

️ Job Skills for Special Education Students: We offer hands-on work experiences with our collection

Recharge PlaySpaces: We create calming spaces in police districts for kids to decompress

Books for Breaks: We give kids books to take home on school breaks — and they get to choose what they read

️ We Need a New Space — Urgently

We're a small, all-volunteer team with no salaries or overhead. We're urgently looking for a new space that is:

Safe and accessible

Large enough for thousands of books

Easy for Philly teachers and families to reach

We can't afford to disappear — too many kids count on us.

❤️ How You Can Help

We're raising $25,000 to cover:

Every dollar helps us stay open — and stay free.

We're Not Done Yet

We believe in the power of books — and in showing up for kids with stories, support, and safe spaces.

We believe in our community — and that's you.

Please consider donating, sharing, or helping us secure a new space.

Let's make sure the Philly Book Bank reaches the next million books — and the next generation of readers.

With heartfelt thanks,

The Volunteers at the Philly Book Bank

Powered by Reading Recycled