Kids' books
What items can we take?
We are collecting children's books for ages infancy through 3rd grade.
Board books
Alphabet books
Picture and story books for up to 3rd grade
Spanish language kids' books
Graphic novels for up to 3rd grade
What isn’t in this category?
We can't take damaged books, former school or library books, or books for reading levels higher than 3rd grade.
Damaged, marked, or soiled books
Check with your local hauler to see if these can go in your curbside recycle bin!
Ex-school or ex-library books
Books for grades 4+
Books for middle or high school students
Books for adults
Magazines and newspapers
Check with your local hauler to see if these can go in your curbside recycle bin!
Encyclopedias or textbooks
Stickers, activity books, coloring books
Kids' books.
Books transport and transform us. Even if kids grow out of their favorite stories, their old books still have plenty of magic inside of them.
Our partners help get books off of your shelf and into a new home where they will be treasured. Now that's what we call a happy ending!
Why use Ridwell?
Unlike other categories, books retain almost all of their original value! They can still be read, they can still bring joy.
Partnering with Clackamas Service Center
Clackamas Service Center (CSC) is the largest food pantry based in Clackamas County and a "one-stop-shop" catering to the needs of unhoused and low-income community members, serving a total of over 8,000 people each month. People experiencing hunger and poverty can meet their basic food, health, and hygiene needs, and connect with supportive services to help them take their next steps toward stability.
As a hub for services, CSC integrates food relief, clothing, showers, and more to expand their impact in the community. With trauma-informed care at the core of their values, CSC seeks to break down barriers to services while centering the inherent dignity and worth of every human being.
Partnering with Birch Community Services
Birch Community Services helps out Oregonians who are living paycheck to paycheck. They work to provide a community where people can be responsible and accountable for meeting their basic needs, and to equip them with tools to overcome financial difficulty. BCS serves 600 families each week with food and financial education. After a year at Birch, an average family pays off $7,000 of debt and increases their savings by $1,000. Additionally, BCS distributes food to 70 other nonprofit organizations across the Portland Metro area, reaching more than 15,000 people each week.
Partnering with Children's Book Bank at SMART Reading
Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading works to increase opportunities for children to succeed as future readers, learners & citizens by filling their homes and lives with quality books. Since 2008, they have mobilized our community to give 934,598 beautiful books to 84,376 children experiencing poverty and children of color. To do so, 3,500 community members volunteer with them each year to collect, restore, sort and deliver tens of thousands of books to children throughout Portland. They partner with early childhood organizations and Title One elementary schools to reach young children who can benefit from free collection of inclusive books to keep as their own.
Join the movement to build a future without waste.
