Give Books
Your gift of inclusive books in new or like-new condition makes children who need them feel valued and empowered. We welcome donations of new and like-new books for children ages 0-18 that reflect the needs of the communities we serve, and especially need:
- books in Spanish (all ages)
- books featuring characters of color (all ages)
- board books
- beginning readers
- early chapter books
- graphic novels
Please weed out and do NOT donate books and other items we can’t accept:
- dusty, wet, chewed, ripped, bent, folded, highlighted, doodled upon, written in, moldering, or mildewed books
- books missing covers, pages, or parts
- vintage or obsolete books
- nonfiction published over ten years ago
- library discards
- textbooks, curriculum materials, and encyclopedias
- cassettes, VHS tapes, CDs, and DVDs
- religious books
As you gather children’s books for donation, please keep in mind that if a book is dated, incomplete, broken, aged in storage for years, or otherwise unappealing to children today, we can’t offer it on our shelves but our hardworking team still has to process it by hand (and these books make us sad). When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I give this book to my loved one as a gift?” When you recycle unusable books at home and donate those we don’t accept to another charity, you help us dedicate our limited resources to giving even more beautiful books to children who need them!
Book Bank Curbside Donation
Our Book Bank runs on a shoestring with a team of part-time staff and volunteers. Your consideration of our limited resources, and mindful donation of only those books we accept, supports our mission and helps us more efficiently serve our clients. After reviewing the guidelines above about the kinds of children’s books we accept, click the yellow button to schedule an appointment to drop off your donation at our Book Bank in San Francisco. We do not accept delivery from third-parties such as Lugg. Your donation is tax deductible as allowed by law; donation receipt provided at drop off.
BOOK BANK
2166 Palou Avenue, San Francisco
Please note our address in the Bayview, conveniently located near Highways 101 and 280 — and just a block away from SCRAP!
Online Wishlists
You can donate new books from our online curated wishlists at bookshop.org (and support independent booksellers at the same time!), or via these links at amazon.com:
0–5 Years Spanish & Other Languages
6–10 Years Spanish & Other Languages
10+ Years Spanish & Other Languages
Donation receipts not provided for online wishlist donations as shippers don’t include donor information.
Book Drops
Drop off your donation of 20 or fewer new or like-new children’s books that meet our guidelines at any of our Book Drop locations. Donation receipts not provided via Book Drops.
Donations of more than 20 books must be made directly at our Book Bank, where a donation receipt will be provided and we’ll be happy to show you around. Please do not inconvenience our Book Drop hosts with large donations, or they may give our bin the boot!
SAN FRANCISCO
Bird and Beckett 653 Chenery Street
Books Inc Laurel Village 3515 California Street
Books Inc Marina 2551 Chestnut Street
Noe Valley Books 3957 24th Street
Russian Hill Bookstore 2162 Polk Street
PENINSULA
Bagel Street Cafe 220 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City
Mail/Ship
You may ship up to 4 banker-size boxes of books to our mailing address:
Children’s Book Project
3433 21st Street
San Francisco CA 94110
To make special arrangements for larger shipments, please contact office@childrensbookproject.org.