This is a brief glance at some of the local activities that Hooked on Books engages in each year in the Erie Area.
Hooked on Books for Kids is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization devoted to literacy, the love of reading, and life-long learning among the underprivileged children and youth of Erie County, Pennsylvania. It accomplishes these missions by giving brand-new, high quality books to needy children and youth from birth to age 18 and by providing adult volunteer readers and new books for every child each month in grades K through 5 at Edison Schools. Donate by check to Hooked on Books for Kids, P. O. Box 3059, Erie, PA 16508.
Since our founding in 1990, we have distributed nearly 500,000 books.
Hooked on Books for Kids distributes books through schools, social service agencies, food banks, service organizations, and other non-profits that serve underprivileged children and/or youth in Erie County.
As an all-volunteer organization, we have very low overhead and no paid staff. All funds raised are used to purchase books or for direct program costs such as printing, postage, and warehouse space.
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Dozens of non-profit oganizations in Erie County have received books to distribute to needy children, including groups such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Erie, Inner-city schools, Shriners Hospital, GECAC Learning Center, Edmund Thomas Adolescent Center, Erie Tenant Council, Achievement Center, Florence Crittenton Home, Student Parenting Program, City Center Outreach, Student Medical Association, LECOM, Hispanic American Council, Martin Luther King Center, Perseus Home, Juvenile Probation, twenty-six food pantries, and many more.
Our average price per book in 2023 was $2.36 per book.
Book distribution is out of our warehouse at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 2216 Peach Street.
Over 90% of the funds given to Hooked on Books for Kids is used to buy books.
All of the money raised by Hooked on Books for Kids benefits children and youth in Erie County.
Donors to Hooked on Books for Kids receive a quarterly newsletter about our activities and achievements.
Hooked on Books for Kids works with other non-profit agencies to distribute books to needy children and youth up to 18 years of age.
To obtain books, a non-profit group fills out a simple two-page form and submit it to Linda Smalley, our Distribution Chair, as noted on the application, then call her to arrange an appointment at 814-566-4391. Arrange an appointment to pick up your books.. Our primary criterion is that at least 50% of the children served by the non-profit applicant group qualify as economically underprivileged by some objective criterion, such as living in subsidized housing or receiving free or subsidized lunches at school. All children served by the agency receive books if 50% or more quality as economically needy.
Once an application is approved, the non-profit arranges with our distribution person to meet at our headquarters, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 2216 Peach St., Erie, PA. A map showing the location is on our application form. The applicant non-profit organization then selects from our current inventory appropriate books for the children and/or youth it serves. We ask you to bring your own boxes.
To learn more about our programs and what we can do for your community, please feel free to contact us.
Hooked On Books For Kids - Erie
P.O. Box 3059
Erie, PA 16508
(814) 431-3676