Give the Gift of Books this Holiday Season!

Halloween is over, which means the Holiday Season has begun.

Regardless of how the quick onset of the holidays may make you feel, soon we will be seeing ads for video games, electronics, toys, and all manner of potential holiday gifts. At the POP Project, we encourage you to shop local, and also to give back to your community this holiday season.

Give back by giving the gift of books.

Studies 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 percent 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 low-income neighborhoods, there is only one book for every 300 children.

This summer, with the invaluable help of our intrepid volunteer, Janine, the POP Project gave out over 2,000 books to elementary students in Asheville and Buncombe County. Many of these books went into the classrooms, and many more went home with the young students of our community as a measure to help build their vocabularies, reading skills, and passion for books.

With your help, the POP Project plans to continue – and hopefully expand – our giving in 2014.

Ways to give back:

1. Donate books

The POP Project is always collecting books that may be donated to children’s programs, shelters, education programs, churches, prisons and detention centers, and other programs whose clientele would benefit from an access to books. This holiday season, consider cleaning out those boxes in your garage or hosting a book drive in your office.

Remember, the POP Project is currently able to pick up deliveries within Asheville city limits, and accepts donations from anyone kind enough to give. We accept books of all genres and reading levels, but cannot accept encyclopedia sets and outdated textbooks. We also cannot in good conscience deliver books with damage from fire, water, or mildew. We are ALWAYS in need of Spanish-language books of all kinds.

Contact us today with any questions about donations.

2. Donate money

The POP Project is a 100 percent volunteer-led organization. That means, all funds we receive go directly to programs and services offered and to the storage of our book donations while they are in between homes.

We are regularly looking for monthly storage sponsors at the $30, $60, and $120 levels. In addition, we welcome funds sent for other purposes, such as building our Spanish-language program, travel expenses as POP expands our giving to additional WNC counties, World Book Night and Banned Book Week programs, or maintaining a dedicated volunteer space.

The POP Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Contact us about additional giving opportunities, or mail your monetary gifts to The POP Project, PO Box 18653, Asheville, NC 28814.

3. Donate time

As we mentioned above, the POP Project is completely managed by volunteers. Our success is built on the passion and dedication of members of this community who believe in our motto: Everyone deserves a good book.

If you have a passion for books, reading, and improving access to books for the people of Asheville and WNC, we have been waiting for you. POP is looking for all types of volunteers, from people interested in single-day service projects to board members and dedicated individuals who are interested in helping build our programs.

The POP Project will be hosting a Q&A for new and inquiring volunteers THIS SUNDAY, November 10. Come and meet us, learn about what we do, and about the many different ways you can be involved. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more info, or email us at apopproject@gmail.com to sign up today.

4. Share the Word

POP is a young nonprofit, but we have been steadily growing each year since we began in 2009. Our mission is to make a difference to people in this community, and we depend on our community members to help us grow in size and reach.

Please help us spread the word about the POP Project and what we do. Tell your friends and your coworkers. Send us information about any schools, programs, or organizations in Buncombe County, or across WNC, that would benefit from ANY books, of any genre or reading level. It is POP’s mission to help our books find homes with people and organizations in need. Together, we can all make a difference to our community.

Help the POP Project give the gift of books this holiday season. Let us know how our team can be of service to you, your company, or your organization.