About the Nonprofit
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Books for STL Kids is a 100% volunteer-run organization in the St. Louis area that has given away over 214,000 brand new books over the last 25 years. Our mission is to increase access to new books for children of under-resourced families, inspiring their love of reading
Access to books is essential to reading development; however, 61% of low-income families have no books for children in their homes. Over 80% of childcare centers serving low-income children lack age-appropriate books and other print materials. By providing children with books they can take home and keep, Books For STL Kids targets the only variable that correlates significantly with reading scores: the number of books in the home.
We distribute books in two ways: firstly, through book grants to local organizations that directly serve low-income children in the Greater St. Louis area. These recipient groups are able to directly select their own new titles at a discount from the First Books marketplace (www.fbmarketplace.org) and have books shipped directly to their organization to distribute to the children in their communities. Secondly, our volunteers distribute books directly to children through small events at schools, and via our Largest Book Party event every September, where we see around 400 children annually. Last year, thanks to the generosity of our donors and volunteers, we were able to double our impact by hosting two Largest Book Parties at both the James J. Eagan Center in Florissant and at Busch Stadium.