How to Host a Book Drive – Juli can show you how

This month, we would like to introduce everyone to our book drive coordinator, Juli Rosenbaum. Juli joined Books Between Kids this past fall, and we are thrilled to have her as a part of our team! Juli is a native Houstonian and mother of two avid readers. Enthusiastically helping coordinate book drives is Juli’s opportunity to spread her love of reading to even more children!

While we will distribute more than 125,000 books this year, our organization is always in need of books – if we were to reach every economically-challenged elementary-aged child in HISD, we would need over 500,000 books – annually! This is our goal, but we can’t reach it without your help – so please consider holding a book drive!

If you are interested in organizing a book drive, big or small, Juli is ready to help you with the coordination, and is happy to come and speak to your group, if you would like. While a school drive might be the first idea to come to mind, we have learned that there are many ways to gather donations. To spark imaginations, Juli offers the following ideas and suggestions:

It’s easy to hold a drive with an organization or group you belong to:

• Last year, we were faced with a short window of time to secure additional books. Ten-year-old Noah learned of our problem and decided to help us out. Noah knew that lots of boys in his Boy Scout troop had books at home, so he decided to hold a book drive at an upcoming troop meeting. He advertised the drive ahead of time and then arrived at the meeting with boxes, ready to receive the donations. Through his efforts, Noah was able to collect over 400 books! Thank you, Noah!
• Ask for donations in lieu of gifts: Book drives don’t have to be run with a school or club! Iben, who volunteers at our warehouse frequently with her parents, was moved when she learned that there were many children in Houston with no books of their own. When planning her birthday party, Iben decided that she would ask her friends and family to support our organization with monetary donations as well as the children’s books that they had outgrown, in lieu of traditional birthday gifts. Her generosity resulted in bags of books and $500 in donations! Thank you, Iben!
• Hold a drive in your neighborhood: William, after volunteering in our warehouse, felt called to do more, and decided that he would hold a drive in his immediate neighborhood over the summer. He created fliers, and stapled them to grocery sacks, dropping them off on the doorsteps of his neighbor’s homes with a promise to be back and collect their donations. William’s efforts led to a donation of more than 170 books! Thank you, William!

Feeling inspired to organize a drive? Juli is ready to help you coordinate your effort. Contact her at bookdrive@booksbetweenkids.org, and she will help you get started!