For our September Give Back, we are proud to partner with Book Harvest, a nonprofit on a mission to provide books for every child, support for every parent, and literacy for every community. Founded in Durham, North Carolina, Book Harvest works to ensure children can grow up surrounded by books, stories, and opportunities to develop a lifelong love of reading.
Book Harvest believes literacy starts at birth, in the home, powered by parents, and nourished with books. By helping children build abundant home libraries of books that belong to them, while equipping parents with tools and support, the organization is creating opportunities for families to make reading part of everyday life from a child's earliest days.
Photo source: Book Harvest
What began in 2011 with donated books stored in a garage has grown into a national leader in the movement for universal book ownership. Since its founding, children and families have harvested more than 3 million books from Book Harvest to build their own home libraries. Today, the organization partners with families, hospitals, schools, and communities to make books more accessible from birth through the school years.
Their programs support children and families throughout different stages of their literacy journey:
- Books from Birth: Newborns go home from participating hospitals and health systems with a starter library of 10 brand new board books, giving families everything they need to begin reading together from day one.
- Book Babies: Families receive books, literacy coaching, and additional support from birth through kindergarten, helping parents make reading and learning part of everyday life.
- Books for K: Kindergarten students build their home libraries with books of their own, helping nurture shared reading routines and support early literacy skills during an important stage of learning.
- Books on Break: Students choose high-interest books to take home for summer, giving them the opportunity to grow their personal libraries and keep reading throughout the break.
- Book Abundance: Books are placed in spaces families already visit, from doctor's offices to laundromats and banks, making it easier for children to discover new stories and add books to their home libraries.
- Books in a Box: Children whose parents are experiencing the effects of incarceration receive new books delivered directly to their homes, giving them more opportunities to read, learn, and grow.
Photo source: Book Harvest
At the center of Book Harvest's work is the belief that parents and caregivers are their child's first and most important teachers. By surrounding families with books and supporting shared reading from the very beginning, Book Harvest helps nurture vocabulary, curiosity, creativity, connection, and a foundation for lifelong learning.
We are proud to support Book Harvest and their vision of a world where every child grows up with an abundant home library and a love of books, reading, and learning. To learn more, donate, or get involved, visit their website.
Each month, Colored Organics donates to an organization helping families and children in need. To learn more about our past work, click here.
