Books for Keeps

If you had told us a year ago what 2020 had in store, we might have just curled up on the couch with a favorite blanket and a book and said "let us know when it blows over." But when things got real, our team got moving - and this engine was powered by the community members who donated to keep books flowing, by the volunteers who trusted us with their health and safety, and the schools and families that came along with us for the journey. Here we are at the end of 2020 feelin...g a lot older, and a good bit wiser, and with a whole lot of new systems for getting #MoreBooksToEveryone. What's really incredible to reflect on is how many of those new techniques and tricks are already being incorporated into our work in 2021 and beyond. To everyone this year who dreamed with us, believed in us, and invested in us - and the kids we serve - thank you! This video is for you! See more

There are SO MANY ways to make reading fun with seasonal books. And seasonal reading isn't just for the kids - Rainey is having a great time reading a Christmas cozy mystery! Do you like to read seasonal genre fiction? #BFKreads #bookstagram

What a great way to wrap the week! We are so so grateful to have been able to help with this wonderful event in some way #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoMoreKids #Repost @downtownministries (@get_repost) ... We had a wonderful Christmas celebration at the Downtown Reading Clinic today, complete with Christmas bingo, goodie bags, and some special holiday books gifted by @bfk_athens for each student to take home! We can’t wait to work with these awesome students again in the new year! See more

Books in, books out - it’s hard to tell which one we’re more excited about! Today, we received shipment of more than 2,000 board books for a project with the Blackwell Early Learning Center in Elbert County, and we packed up more than 800 leftover used board books for those Pre-K students, for local daycare centers like @littleprodigieschildcare, and for distribution through @eptingevents’ Athens Cotton Press to partners like @fccisathens. We get by with a little help from our friends - and we give #morebookstomorekids that way, too! #communitiestogether #bookjoy

*Why does Geraldine give?* As Director of Resident Support with the Athens Housing Authority, Geraldine has a unique perspective on the needs of our community and the ways we can all come together to support one another. Read her full support statement below: "Partnering with Books for Keeps has truly been an amazing opportunity for the Athens Housing Authority (AHA). At AHA where our mission is to provide secure, affordable, quality housing and resources which encourage an...d sustain independence for wage earners, elderly and families, we recognize that reading truly is fundamental. To this end, Books for Keeps has become an important part of our providing resources to our residents, of all ages, to help ensure their long-term success. Books for Keeps has participated in our Wee Read and Family Night sessions by not only providing enough books for youth to fill the shelves in our Cameron-Mattox Resource Center, but Justin and his wife, Anna, also read to, played games with, and even made slime with our youth and their families. Books for Keeps has also provided enough books to re-establish the in-house library for our elderly residents at our Denney Tower location and plans are in motion to provide books for all ages in other AHA locations to include Tiny Libraries. Through these efforts we have seen youth, their families, and their communities bond and engage in powerful and fun-filled ways around reading. It’s been incredible! We believe that being strong readers is a fundamental step in opening doors to any and all possibilities for every individual. We are extremely proud and fortunate to be able to partner with Books for Keeps in this endeavor through financial donations and of volunteer time from our staff. However, nothing we at AHA could do could ever match the priceless gift of books that Books for Keeps provides to our community." #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoMoreKids #MoreBookstoEVERYONE

We get by with a little help from our friends... Check out this blog post from our peers at Book Harvest, based in Durham, NC, about the collective impact of this small cohort of literacy nonprofits that has been gathering virtually to share resources, compare notes, and swap ideas during this crazy year. As always, we're so grateful to have colleagues near and far who lend us their wisdom and help strengthen our own work! #CommunitiesTogether #morebookstomorekids

Whether it's through books, magazines, or yes, even video games, there are countless ways to incorporate reading into your day. What creative ways do you encourage reading at home? #BFKreads #bookstagram

Today's #FridayFeelGood is brought to you by the "Pageturner" sponsors for our Community Book Fair. Without these sponsors - nearly all of them supporting us AGAIN this year - this event, which placed nearly 12,000 books in the community, would not have been possible: Denise Ricks Edward Jones Blind Pig Tavern American Pest Control Bell's Food Market... Heyward Allen Cadillac, Buic, GMC, Toyota THANK YOU! #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoMoreKids

New Book Alert! We've been hard at work in the warehouse unpacking this year's First Book truckload! Without this partnership, we wouldn't be able to get these Disney, Star Wars, or Marvel titles into the hands of students. If you're like us and can't get enough of that new book smell, check our upcoming volunteer shifts and come get a first hand look! ... bit.ly/Volunteerbfk

Tees tees tees! There's still one week left to get a limited edition BFK tee, available in both youth and adult sizes. These stunning tees, designed by Katie Shivers, are part of a short run fundraiser to help support our mission of stopping summer slide by getting books into the hands of Georgia students. If you haven't ordered yours yet, don't hesitate to click the link below: http://bfk.satisfactoryprinting.com/books_for_kee/shop/home #MoreBookstoMoreKids #StopSummerSlide

Today we're throwing it back to two of our favorite things - a student's book joy and one of our volunteers getting to share in that feeling! The joy students feel when getting to pick 12 brand new books of their very own is something so special. Our team can't wait to be able to do distributions in person again. Until then, thank YOU for making it possible for us to continue to serve them remotely! #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoMoreKids #StopSummerSlide

In need of a diversion today? HELP NAME THIS ADORABLE KITTEN!!! Currently going by the handle Warehouse Kitty, Sweet Kitten, or Kitty Baby, this fuzzball needs a forever name now that she’s found her furrever home. (She turned up at the BFK warehouse two weeks ago, was briefly fostered by a staff member, and is now living the dream on a small family farm in Covington.) Drop your name suggestions in the comments - bonus points for anything literary! Other interests: climbing onto shoulders like a parrot and playing with her adopted sister, Mittens. #kittensofinstagram #catsofinstagram #diversionfromreality

Happy Election Day! We’re sending love and luck to everyone out there who is voting today, working the polls, driving people to voting sites, phone banking, or just going about their lives doing their best to love one another and serve their communities. No matter who you’re voting for, we can all root together for the democratic process #communitiestogether #vote

Come shop with is! We still have shopping appointments available for our Community Book Fair this week. AND it's the last week! Head over to the link below to reserve your spot today! Booksforkeeps.org/BookFair #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoEVERYONE

This morning we loaded ~40,000 books into the warehouse - an entire tractor trailer load from First Book and Disney - for our spring 2021 distributions. Watch this video for an exclusive first look at the books coming out of those pallets!

Halloween or your forever future, this is your reminder from Sam that you can be anything Happy Halloween, friends! Never stop dreaming and striving.

LAST CALL! . Our Community Book Fair wraps up next week. Don’t let the sun set on your opportunity for FREE BOOKS! We still have open spots to browse our selection of thousands of books (including newly unpacked inventory). Sign up for your exclusive, safe shopping appointment at our website - http://booksforkeeps.org/bookfair/! . #morebookstoEVERYONE #bookjoy #bookstagram

Sponsor Spotlight When people talk about dedicated community partners, they're talking about people like Robins Financial Credit Union! Going all the way back to 2014, Robins Financial's support of Books for Keeps has been absolutely steadfast. This year, the team at RFCU chose to support our goal of getting as many books into the community as possible through our Community Book Fair. We are so so grateful for sustainable donors like Robins Financial Credit Union #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoMoreKids #MoreBookstoEVERYONE

#ThrowbackThursday is a time for celebrating great moments, and what better ones to celebrate than 2019 distributions! We sure do miss getting to see these joyful faces, but we know we'll get there again soon. If you'd like to help ensure our ability to fill bags with books and puts smiles on faces, please mark your calendar for #GivingTuesday2020 December 1st - when your gift will be DOUBLED! #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoMoreKids #StopSummerSlide

Team BFK was super excited to meet these incredible teachers from Dove Creek Elementary last week who are collecting books for a book giveaway they'll be hosting for students in January! We're excited to get some more books together for this team, and we can't wait to see how the giveaway turns out!! #CommunitiesTogether #MoreBookstoMoreKids