Let's Help These Charities Give Books to Kids

For many book lovers, teachers were the people who helped them discover the magic of reading. But did you know that a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics showed that 94 percent of teachers use their own money to buy school supplies, including books for their students? To help pass on the magic of an amazing story to the next generation of readers, we want to help charities that support teachers, school librarians, and after-school programs with new books for students. And to go big, we're inviting you—the wonderful Goodreads community—to participate.

I'm in. How can I help?

We asked three charities that work with schools to create a registry of books they most need. We’re now inviting you to:

1. Check out the charities below and decide which one(s) you would like to support.

2. Go to their AmazonSmile Charity List (links below). If you aren't already an AmazonSmile customer, you will need to sign up using your Amazon account in order to purchase from Charity Lists.

3. Pick which book(s) you want to buy, and make your purchase. The books will automatically be sent to the charity.

Here are the charities:

Reading Is Fundamental
Reading Is Fundamental believes every child deserves an opportunity to own books, learn how to read, and obtain the fundamental building blocks to achieve their highest potential. Literacy opens doors and enables every child the chance to live their own journey.

Founded in 1966, Reading Is Fundamental is the leading voice for children’s literacy and, in partnership with a grassroots network of volunteers in schools and communities nationwide, has distributed more than 416 million books and impacted the lives of more than 50 million children, inspiring generations to read, learn, and grow.


We Need Diverse Books
We Need Diverse Books strives to create a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book. Its WNDB in the Classroom initiative provides boxes of diverse books (20 to 30 copies per box) to low-income schools and libraries nationwide.

By helping children find stories and authors they can relate to, WNDB believes that we can help foster in them a lifelong love of reading. Founded in 2014, WNDB has donated more than 14,000 diverse books across 41 states and the District of Columbia.


First Book
First Book believes that education is the best way out of poverty for children in need. First Book breaks down barriers to quality education by providing its network of more than 425,000 registered teachers, librarians, after-school program leaders, and others serving children in need with millions of free and affordable new, high-quality books, educational resources, and basic-needs items through the award-winning First Book Marketplace nonprofit e-commerce site.

Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 185 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income communities in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 5 million children every year and supports more than one in three of the estimated 1.3 million classrooms and programs serving children in need.



FAQ

What is AmazonSmile Charity Lists?
AmazonSmile Charity Lists is designed specifically for charitable organizations so they can request and receive product donations using Amazon’s selection, prices, logistics, and convenience. With Charity Lists, customers can support charities by sending them the products they most need. Charity Lists are curated and managed directly by the charitable organizations and verified by AmazonSmile.

What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization. Every time you shop at smile.amazon.com (either your own shopping or purchasing from a Charity List), Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from more than 1 million organizations to support. You can learn more here.

How do I change my current AmazonSmile charitable organization?
If you want to support Reading Is Fundamental, We Need Diverse Books, or First Book with your AmazonSmile shopping, or if you want to select one of over a million other charities, follow the instructions here.

What about children outside of the U.S.? Can I give books to them?

Of course! Some nonprofits that have programs for children outside of the U.S. include:

Bibliothèques Sans Frontières

Book Aid International

Books for All

Room to Read

Save the Children

Worldreader

THANK YOU for your help in giving more children the opportunity to experience that magical moment of being lost in a great book. What was the first book that you remember loving as a child? Was there a teacher who really helped you become a reader? Tell us in the comments.