Retired social worker Poppaea “Poppy” Dere says, “Since recovering from a stroke, I was looking for a place where I could have a real impact, feel a sense of purpose, and enjoy working with good people.” When a friend told her about volunteering at the Children’s Book Project, Poppy came to our Book Bank and got right down to work counting and sorting donated children’s books. “I’ve always loved books, especially children’s books,” she says. “Now I’ve caught the vision! I’m so excited to help get books into the hands of children who need them.”

Our summer intern Mia Chien, an English major at Stanford University, learned about the Children’s Book Project from her mom, a principal at Rise Prep in the Bayview who gets free books for her students at our Book Bank. Mia enjoys volunteering with us because: “Number one, I love books! Number two, I prefer to do something that makes a big impact — and I know that being able to read matters in everyone’s life. And number three, I’ve been in schools where my fellow students didn’t have enough books. All kids must be able to read, and having books of their own really will make an important difference in their lives.” 

In addition to writing online reviews for Our Readers Recommend page, Mia enjoys working with hundreds of donated books every week, helping us process more than 31,000 books we received in July alone — our most ever in one month! “It’s fun when books from my own childhood come through!  I also love seeing all the diverse new titles that are available now,” she says. “I’m so moved by the joy people express as they pick up great books for the children they work with.”