Repair Children's Books for Local Students (age 10+) *Hands On*

SMART Reading is a statewide children’s literacy nonprofit with a mission to spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book.  Through our Children’s Book Bank, we advance child literacy, encourage family bonding, and ignite curiosity by getting thousands of books into the hands of local kids.

The Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading provides a place for community members to donate the books their children have outgrown, and then our amazing volunteers bring these gently-used books back to life.

Come lend a hand as we spruce-up donated books which will later be distributed to thousands of children in the Portland area. Every book is inspected and cleaned by volunteers, which includes wiping covers, taping torn pages, erasing scribbles, covering inscriptions, and reinforcing worn spines. No previous experience with children's books is needed. 

Sign up below to help us give new life to donated books!

FAQs:  

Can I bring books to donate?  Yes, of course! You are welcome to bring either new or gently-used books with you to this volunteer event. Our highest needs are picture books for kids under six, and books in Spanish. If you're interested in learning more about hosting a book drive for SMART Reading, click here. 

Where do the books go? The Book Bank gives away over 75,000 books to Portland area kids each year. This includes giving every child in Head Start in Multnomah County a bag of their own books, as well as offering free book fairs to elementary schools and providing books to a variety of community partners.

Can children participate? Children 10 or older are welcome to join! Please see the Project Requirements section for important information about volunteers under 18.

Can I bring guests? Absolutely! This is a great activity to do with friends, but you MUST reserve slots for them. The best way to do this is to create a Volunteer Team. You can then sign up your team for this project.

Location & Accessibility: 

The Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading is located at 1915 NE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97212

It is a single story, ADA-accessible building, that can be easily accessed by TriMet. If you would like to reserve a parking spot before the session, please email bookbank@smartreading.org, so we can hold an accessible parking spot for you.

On site we have a single-stall, gender-neutral bathroom.  If the chairs are uncomfortable or cause any pain during your session, we also have seat cushions available if you ask. 

Masking is optional, but if you would like to request a masked session due to accessibility, we are happy to accommodate that! Please email this request to bookbank@smartreading.org at least a week prior to your session so we can communicate this to other volunteers attending.  

Project Requirements:

• Volunteers must be at least 10 years of age, and all volunteers under age 15 must have an adult chaperone.

• ​All volunteers must read the following Waiver Form. Upon your arrival, you will sign-in and confirm that you have read and agreed to our volunteer waiver requirements. 

• All volunteers under 18 are required to bring TWO phyical waivers signed by their parent or legal guardian - one for Hands On and one for the Children's Book Bank at SMART Reading. Please download, complete, and bring these waivers with you on the day of the project:
  
  Hands On Youth Volunteer Release Form 
  
  Children's Book Bank Youth Release Form

• If you plan to bring children or guests you MUST reserve slots for them. The best way to do this is to create a Volunteer Team, then sign up your team for this project. TEAMS NOTE: if you are signing up as a Team, you are limited to reserving 6 slots. If you have more than 6 in your group please email bookbank@smartreading.org
  
  IMPORTANT NOTE: You are responsible for ensuring that everyone signed up through your team attends - only sign up team members who have confirmed their availability. Teams that repeatedly sign up, but do not show up or show up with fewer volunteers than they signed up, may be removed. To add or remove team members from a project, click on "My Account" and then "My Teams," above.

Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot!
Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.