Get Involved

BOOKS for the BARRIOS is truly "a project of the heart!" Help us keep making a difference. We have a variety of ways for you to get involved:





Make a Donation

With BOOKS for the BARRIOS you know your money and time are well spent. Every dollar of your financial support is turned into approximately $100 worth of educational materials placed directly into the hands of the students and teachers who need it most.

Your donation of:

  • a 20-foot container is $10,000 and the shipment is worth $350,000 for the schools
  • A single stack of 36-apple sized boxes is $2,000
  • $12,000 will sponsor a National Model-of-Excellence School

Donating to BOOKS for the BARRIOS is a great way to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged Filipino children and in the lives of children in the U.S. We offer four easy ways to make your donation:

  1. Make your donation on-line using Paypal's secure server
    Your donation through Paypal is secure and private. You control the use of your name, and their secure server protects your financial information and safely transfers your credit card donation. Paypal promises never to sell, trade, or give your name to any other groups. Click the 'Make a Donation' button below to make a donation.



  2. Make your donation through JustGive.org

    Find more about JustGive.org


  3. Mail us a check
    We welcome your direct donations! Please write your check to BOOKS for the BARRIOS and mail it to:

    BOOKS for the BARRIOS
    2350 Whitman Road
    Suite D, Concord CA 94518-2355

  4. Designate us as your preferred United Way or Combined Federal Campaign charity
    You can designate BOOKS for the BARRIOS as your preferred charity during the United Way Campaign-just write in our name.

    For the Combined Federal Campaign, our code is # 10375.

Make a matching contribution

Tell your employer you are supporting BOOKS for the BARRIOS and ask them to make a donation, too. More and more companies are supporting the causes of their employees by donating to the nonprofits they're affiliated with or volunteer for. If your employer has a matching program, be sure to let them know about your contribution so they can match it. If not, talk to the person in charge of donations or community outreach at your company. It's good for the community, it's good for your company's image, and it's tax-deductible!


Become a corporate sponsor

BOOKS for the BARRIOS is pleased to have long-standing alliances with National Geographic Society, LBC Corporation, American President Lines, Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, and The Lafarge Group. Our corporate sponsors offer ongoing financial support and/or materials donations, which allows us to concentrate more of our efforts on programs and less on fundraising.

The Benefits of Corporate Sponsorship

The benefits of becoming a corporate sponsor are many!

  • Through corporate sponsorship, businesses with operations in the Philippines can give back to their community and ensure that their potential future employees receive an excellent educational foundation.
  • U.S. corporate sponsors can contribute financially to a good cause or donate products (e.g., publisher's remainders) that would otherwise become landfill.
  • Sponsors become associated with the BOOKS for the BARRIOS international philanthropic endeavor, which is good for your corporate image.
  • Financial contributions are tax-deductible.

We welcome partnerships with companies that would like to contribute to our mission. Developing a partnership with BOOKS for the BARRIOS will enable your company to access the passion of our committed volunteers and thousands of our committed supporters in both the U.S. and the Philippines while enabling us to carry out our mission more effectively.

Join us as a volunteer

Our programs at BOOKS for the BARRIOS are made possible through the efforts of thousands of dedicated citizens who volunteer their time. Many of our volunteers are fulfilling community service hours. Thousands of volunteers have helped us over the past 10 years, and scores are currently dedicating their time today.

Volunteers are our life line. In fact, we are so dedicated to spending as much as possible on benefiting children and teachers that we have only one paid part-time staff member. The tireless dedication of our volunteers allows us to answer the call of people in need.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider giving a few hours of your time. You will help make a difference in the lives of millions of children, and help improve the environment at the same time. You will get back in gratification as much as you give in time and effort.

Our volunteers enjoy working on a team with other committed people, supporting and learning from one another. Most importantly, volunteers can take pride in making a difference in other people's lives.

Volunteer and Community Service Opportunities

BOOKS for the BARRIOS needs volunteers to provide a wide range of services including:

  • Sorting books and other educational materials
  • Packing books and materials
  • Shipping books and materials
  • Helping out in the office
  • Mentoring Philippine teachers (for experienced elementary school teachers)

Involve your school, youth group or community

Field Trips

BOOKS for the BARRIOS invites you to a come on a field trip to our National Children's Education Sharing Center in Concord, California. During the two-hour, hands-on participatory field trip, U.S. children learn:

  • About Filipino children and the Philippines
  • To recycle responsibly
  • To think globally and act locally
  • That some children have more opportunities than others
  • That they can make a difference
  • To reach out to their peers abroad

When you arrive for your scheduled field trip, please remember to bring $5.00 per field trip participant, a camera and name tags for everyone! For more information or to schedule a field trip, please contact Nancy Harrington at (925) 687-7701 or send e-mail to joinus@booksforthebarrios.com

Donation Drive

Organize a drive for donations at your school, church, youth organization or in your neighborhood. See below for a list of the materials we're looking for.

Donate Materials

Collect the things you no longer need and bring them to the BOOKS for the BARRIOS National Children's Education Sharing Center in Concord, California!

Many of the barrio schools to which BOOKS for the BARRIOS offers assistance have only a handful of books. School libraries are rare. Other educational materials such as science kits, pre-school learning games and computers are non-existent. In many cases, an entire class may share a single outdated, worn and tattered book. For many children, including high school age students, books delivered by BOOKS for the BARRIOS-modern books with color illustrations, charts and photos-are the first such books they have ever seen.

We are always seeking donations of the following items to ship to the Philippines:

  • Games and Puzzles
  • Toys, Stuffed Animals and Tennis Balls
  • Athletic Equipment
  • Crayons, Pencils and Scissors
  • Clean Scrap Paper
  • Children's Storybooks
  • National Geographic Magazines
  • Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
  • Computers (Pentium III, or IV in working condition only)
  • Monitors ($20 Donation Fee)
  • Little Girls Dresses

Our current wish-list for equipment needed at our facility in Concord, California includes:

  • A heavy truck for picking up donations in the U.S.
  • A forklift to replace our old one
  • An automatic pallet jack

Sustain us through planned giving

Secure the future of BOOKS for the BARRIOS through planned giving!

Our work is greatly strengthened by the thoughtful planning of friends who provide for BOOKS for the BARRIOS in their wills or estates. These gifts help insure that we can keep delivering our programs in the United States and the Philippines.

Leave-a-Legacy is a community-based program that helps people give to charities through a will or from an estate. By making a planned gift to BOOKS for the BARRIOS through Leave-a-Legacy you can continue to help us make an impact in your community. Click here to learn more.

Stay in touch!

Join our mailing list by emailing joinus@booksforthebarrios.com. You will receive periodic updates about BOOKS for the BARRIOS.