Our Impact (2021 - 2022 School Year)
Stay tuned for progress updates for the 2021 - 2022 school year in the coming weeks and months ahead!
U.S. States Progress (States 1-10)
U.S. States Progress (States 11-20)
U.S. States Progress (States 21 - 30)
Our Impact (2019 - 2020 School Year)
As of August 15, 2021 we have collected and donated a total of 2,500 diverse books for the 2019 - 2020 school year.
In November 2019, we received another $200 grant from Kindness Grows Here for our non-profit!
Our Impact (2018 - 2019 School Year)
As of May 23, 2019, we have collected a total of 2,500+ diverse books that have been generously donated from our friends, family and the general public. Book donations have been received from people within the United States, Ireland and United Kingdom. WE DID IT! We collected books for all 50 different U.S. states!
In November 2018, Hachette Book Group committed to donating a whopping 800 books to help support our project. 800 books = 16 states! We were so thrilled to share the amazing book titles they sent us with thousands of other children across America!
We have collected $6,415 in monetary donations of our $7,000 goal from our Go Fund Me page. In November 2018, also received a $150 grant from Kindness Grows Here for our project. On average, shipping costs (including postage (media rate), packing tape and boxes) averages about $20-$35 per state (depending on how far the books are being shipped). Any additional money collected is used to purchase new or gently used books in the event we had having trouble reaching our goal for any given state.
On September 1, 2019 we started our 50 States 50 Books program again for the 2019 - 2020 school year. Our updated completion date to finish our project this year is December 31, 2020 (or sooner).
We still have the same goal and mission to collect and donate 50 diverse children’s books for each of the 50 U.S. states. We’re confident that we can impact the lives of thousands of kids across the nation again just like we did last year. Thanks in advance for all of your help and support as we continue to work to CLOSE THE GAP and FILL THE MAP!
Our Initiatives
Pledge Your Birthday!
NEW for Fall 2019!
At 50 States 50 Books we love birthdays, but we also love giving back to the community too. That’s why we decided to create the Pledge Your Birthday initiative. Interested participants can pledge to donate monetary gifts or new and gently used diverse children’s books in their name in lieu of receiving birthday gifts. By donating to 50 States 50 Books Inc. in your name, together we can make sure children across the nation have access to high quality diverse literature.
Are your children having a birthday? This is the perfect time to teach them the impact giving back to others.
Getting started is easy. A few weeks before your birthday, notify us via email at 50states50books[at]gmail.com and let us know your name, birth date (month and day only, please) and which U.S. state you’d like to make your donation to. If we’ve already completed your state that’s perfectly fine. We’re happy to make another donation to your state again in your honor.
Once we’ve finalized the details of your birthday pledge you can begin spreading the word to your birthday party guests. Let them know the details of your party AND your pledge to donate to our organization in lieu of receiving birthday gifts. (We’re happy to provide you with suggested wording to use if needed.)
You can rest assured, 100% of your donations will go directly to 50 States 50 Books Inc. for preparation and shipping of books to kids across the United States!
Ready to get started? Make this an awesome tradition, just like a birthday cake! Join others pledging their birthdays to charity...a gift that keeps giving!
Thank you in advance for your support of 50 States 50 Books…Happy Birthday to you!
The 50 Books Challenge!
Update: As of August 9, 2019 this challenge has now ended. Thank you to all of our participants who took The 50 Books Challenge this summer. We hope you all enjoyed the pizza from Pizza Hut sponsored by The Book It! Program!
We are thrilled to introduce our 2019 summer initiative in partnership with The Pizza Hut The BookIt! Program, "The 50 Books Challenge"! The Pizza Hut BookIT! Program will provide us with 100 $20 Pizza Hut gift cards to distribute to book-loving children across the U.S.
Here's how it works: The first 100 kids who complete "The 50 Books Challenge" will receive a $20 gift card to Pizza Hut. For their efforts, they’ll be able to treat their family to a pizza party.
What is The 50 Books Challenge?
The goal of "The 50 Books Challenge" is for children ages birth - 17 to collect 50 books (of any kind - gently used or new) and donate them to an organization or individual they choose. The first 100 kids who collect and donate their 50 books AND e-mail their photo anytime between the dates of June 7, 2019 - August 9th, 2019 will receive a $20 Pizza Hut gift card. The photo should show the child donating their collected books to a place of their choice. All participants must reside in the U.S. and will be required to submit a photo via e-mail in order to be eligible to receive the gift card.
Children who reside in the same household are allowed to participate. We only ask that all participants be between ages birth - 17 and be based in the U.S. in order to be eligible for the gift card. And since we're relying on the honor system, we're trusting each participant to actually collect AND donate all 50 books they receive. Only ONE entry per child will be allowed.
So, are your little readers up for The 50 Books Challenge? If so, get your book donation boxes ready and start collecting your 50 books! Remember, they can be children's or adult books. Once you have your 50 books, find a place to donate them to, snap a pic, and e-mail us your photo as proof and wait for your $20 Pizza Hut gift card to arrive via e-mail. Easy, peasy.