20,000+ Books to Kids and Families

20,000+ Books to Kids and Families

We know that a quality education has a powerful effect on the long-term success of our community. Providing kids and families with more access to books is crucial - the more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency, which means the more likely they will stay on track for high school graduation and success in life.

When parents and children read together at home it also strengthens their relationship and bond between them.

The Little Libraries initiative, a Metro United Way partnership with the 2014 Bingham Fellows, gives neighbors and businesses an opportunity to host libraries in their front yards so that families that might not have easy access to the public library, or have books in their home, can get free books in their own neighborhood.

To date, more than 20,000 books have been distributed into targeted communities where only 35% of children test ready for kindergarten! Yolanda Walker, a preschool teacher who has lived in the California neighborhood in Louisville's west end for 27 years, is one of our Little Library "hosts."

"It's hard for some people to get to the library to no fault of their own - they are working or their parents are working. Having Little Libraries throughout our community allows us to bring the books to them," she said.

New or used book donations are accepted to share with Metro United Way's network of Little Libraries. They can be dropped off at our office during normal business hours (334 E. Broadway). The greatest need is for books for children and teenage boys, but books for the whole family are happily accepted!