What We Do
The POP Project collects secondhand books to redistribute primarily within areas of Western North Carolina. Our goal is to offer greater access to books and the opportunities that come from higher rates of literacy and knowledge. We believe that making books available to everyone enables people to become more involved citizens, remain better informed, and lead more fulfilled lives, both privately and in public.
Our book giving programs assist local WNC charities, storefronts, and organizations whose efforts focus on literacy development or whose clients and members would benefit from a greater access to books. Some of our books go to schools and children. Others go to prisons. We feel that persons behind bars can still be valuable assets to a community, and helping prisoners become more literate is an essential step.
POP donates books of all literacy levels to:
- Schools and educational programs.
- Shelters.
- Housing communities.
- Churches.
- Nonprofit and community organizations.
- Food pantries.
- Coffee shops.
- Barbershops.
- Veterans programs and hospitals.
- Inmates in local and state corrections systems.
- Anywhere where there is need.
Are you in need of FREE books for your business or organization? Click here.
Children’s and Youth Book Giving Programs
Reports have shown that access to print materials is the critical variable in dramatically improving a child’s reading skills and attitude toward reading. However, 61% of low income homes have exactly zero age-appropriate books for the children in their homes. In fact, some studies have even reported that in certain neighborhoods below the poverty line, there is only one book for every 300 children.
In 2023 alone, the POP Project donated 3,000 books and comic books to children’s educational programs, low-income schools, and services in Buncombe County and surrounding areas. These books made an impact on several thousand children ages 0-18. Many of these books went into classrooms to help build students’ vocabularies, reading skills, and passion for books. Many more went home with young students within our community who have limited access to books and other resources, and whose literacy is dependent on having access to books of an appropriate reading level at home.
POP Project’s children’s and youth book giving initiative works hard to ensure that children within our own community have a greater access to the books that will make the biggest impact on their levels of literacy now and their greater overall educational success.
Are you in need of FREE children’s books for your school or organization? Click here.
About the Books
The vast majority of books the POP Project receives come from private, individual donations and community book drives. POP accepts as many books as we can with our limited resources, but unusable books create a strain on our ability to serve the community efficiently.
If books we receive cannot be distributed back within the community, or if we have a surplus of different types of books, we sometimes try to sell them to help with our administrative expenses.
If you are thinking about making a book donation, READ THESE GUIDELINES first.
How You Can Help
The needs are great and sometimes the resources are small. We do not charge for our services, and thus, are constantly in need of quality books, monetary donations for book storage, and volunteers.
Volunteering – The POP Project is always looking for single-day, short-term, and long-term dedicated volunteers. We are especially in need of drivers for book deliveries. If you have an interest in helping out, please visit our volunteer pages to learn more about our volunteer needs and how you can sign up.
Monetary Donations – As a 100% volunteer-driven organization, all monetary and in-kind donations make a big difference in our ability to conduct day-to-day business and sustain our efforts. In fact, every dollar you donate translates to $10+ in FREE books delivered back to the community. Click here to learn more about donating to the POP Project today.
Book Donations – Due to storage limitations, POP has strict book donation guidelines. However, as books are the core element of our mission, we do our best to accept as much as we can. Click here to learn more about giving books.