The Bridgeport Book Drive is a major element of the Book Fest. Our goal is to address the stunning fact that 60% of low-income families in Bridgeport have no children’s books in their homes.
There are many ways to get involved and to give books!
Through our partnership with Read to Grow, a Connecticut non-profit dedicated to improving early literacy, the festival will purchase brand new books for thousands of students in the Bridgeport public school system. Our aim is to expand the book donations each year to include brand new books for every student in every grade. Donations to the BookFest support this initiative.
Our online bookdrive earmarks the titles you choose for Bridgeport students. Click on SHOP NOW to purchase the books you would like to donate. All goods ordered online will be shipped directly to Read to Grow who will then distribute to children in Bridgeport.
Working with community partners like Bridgeport Prospers, we will marry the surplus of children’s books in the suburbs with the horrifying deficit of books in the City. We are coordinating locations for the year-round collection of gently used books to create our pop-up BookFest library that will have free books for kids to take home. Please stand by while we designate the book drop locations!
Thank you! Due to the enormous generosity of friends of Senator Chris Murphy, RJ Julia Booksellers, and Read to Grow, an astounding $100,000 was donated in one day to buy new books for Bridgeport students during the forced coronavirus distance learning crisis. With the help of the Bridgeport Public School System, the books will be distributed over the Spring and Summer to school lunch locations.
Our Book Fest Is Literally Made Possible By:
