POINT PLEASANT, NJ – A local Kiwanis chapter is seeking a small storage space or one-year funding to keep a children’s book pipeline operating. The Kiwanis Club of Point Pleasant collects donated books for BookSmiles, which distributes to children in need in the greater Philadelphia area.
Volunteers clear community donation bins every two weeks and move books to a storage unit that BookSmiles empties about every two months.
Storage costs have doubled since the effort began and now exceed $200 per month.
What the program does
The program accepts both kids’ and adult books, and BookSmiles swaps each donated adult title for a children’s book that is then given to kids.
The collection keeps books out of landfills and in circulation for community use. Organizers say the effort can reduce municipal disposal and recycling costs tied to discarded books. Local families and school groups assist with regular transports from bins to storage.
The partnership has operated for nearly two years with a fixed schedule for pickups and deliveries.
Kiwanis seeks a local storage space of about 10 feet by 10 feet that can hold four pallets with containers on top.
Access is needed every two weeks, preferably on Saturdays, so volunteers can load 4-by-4-foot containers.
Space is required for the BookSmiles box truck to pull up and load the containers; BookSmiles provides a pallet jack and manages loading.
As an alternative, sponsors can fund a year of storage fees to maintain current operations.
BookSmiles and Kiwanis state they will coordinate to avoid disruptions to host business operations.
Businesses or property owners interested in providing space or funding can contact pointpleasantkiwanis@gmail.com.
A 10-by-10 room could keep the books moving.