FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2025
Contact: Ryan M. Place: ryan@detroitbookfest.com; Alyce Hartman: hello@birdiesbookmobile.org
Bookfest Attendees Donated Close to 5,000 Kids Books, Far Surpassing Goal
Earlier this summer, the Detroit Festival of Books and Birdie’s Bookmobile announced a goal of collecting 2,000 donated children’s books at the 2025 Bookfest. Volunteers stationed six bright-yellow receptacles throughout the July 20 festival in Eastern Market. Book lovers arrived, and they delivered — many, many books.
Several of the bins were filled to capacity and required emptying throughout the day. Birdie’s Bookmobile’s minivan quickly filled up, forcing staff to rent a larger cargo van at the last minute to store and haul the remainder. At the end of the day, the cargo van itself was nearly full.
Birdie’s volunteers late last week unpacked the collected books at the organization’s Detroit warehouse and counted them. 4,737 books was the grand total, far surpassing this year’s goal of 2,000 as well as last year’s tally of 1,148.
“Nearly 5,000 books in one weekend means nearly 5,000 new stories in the hands of Detroit kids,” said Alyce Hartman, founder of Birdie’s Bookmobile. “That’s the true impact of this community’s generosity.”
“Children everywhere should get to experience the joy of literature,” said Ryan M. Place, founder and chairman of Bookfest. “Going from owning no books to having your own personal library can be life-changing. Bookfest is very proud to support this great cause.”
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