Help Kids Who Need Help: The Children's Book Bank

With tax season around the corner, most of us are probably budgeting for the upcoming year.  If you donation budget is still flexible, consider this Toronto based charity, The Children's Book Bank.

Further, if you have any well-kept children's books that you are looking to donate, consider this charity.

Here's a description of the work they do, for their June/2011 newsletter:

The Children's Book Bank just celebrated its third birthday and since opening in 2008, we have reached many important milestones:

• The Children's Book Bank has given away over 200 000 books free to Toronto children who need them! Through the average of about 180 visitors we see daily in the Book Bank's storefront location, including many families who come regularly, and our partnerships with organization across Toronto, we have been able to re-use and recycle hundreds of thousands of books by giving them free to families who need them and who otherwise couldn't afford to purchase children's books!

• We have distributed children's books to high-needs, low-income communities across Toronto from Parkdale to Scarborough, from Jane and Finch to Regent Park.  We have recently begun providing free books to the Macaulary Child Development Centre, which they distribute through their literacy programs and their own "Children's Book Nook."  We also distribute free books across Toronto through partnering with schools, literacy programs and other charitable organizations to ensure that free children's books reach the children who need them.

• We have hosted over 300 free field trips a year where children come to the Book Bank to hear a story and leave with a free children's book which they can keep forever.