Books Through Bars Philly

@booksthroughbars.bsky.social

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We are a books to prisoners project located in West Philly! ❤️📚 Come volunteer with us! 📍4722 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143 https://linktr.ee/btbphilly

Text reads: Testimonials from people in prison. Can you tell us about a time when one of our books helped you? What impact did it have? I received a fitness book where I created a daily workout plan that I could use and change workouts every other day. Also showed me that I should challenge myself more and add more cardio into my workouts. I lost 17 lbs, got into shape, and got a lot stronger using strength training. J from PA.
What’s in store this year: Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 26 this year! To celebrate, buy books for us from our special online wishlist anytime between April 25 and May 2, and all donations will be matched with a cash donation. These match weeks happen twice a year (spring and fall) and are the best times to support us, as your impact is doubled. For all trained and local volunteers, we’ll be hosting “packathons” throughout the year. At packathons, we dedicate a full day to catching up on book requests, often fulfilling hundreds of requests with the help of volunteers who drop in throughout the day. Lastly, we hope to see you during in-person events at West Philly Porch Fest on Saturday, May 30
Text reads; testimonials from people in prison. Can you tell us about a time when one of our books helped you? What impact did it have? I'm into drawing and cartooning, you guys sent me a book on caricature, I studied it and began to do my own caricatures, to this day I still use the skills I learned to do likenesses for commissary items -Anonymous
A group of six people standing in the Books Through Bars library
Text reads; We asked our volunteers, what brings you to our work? I have worked within the criminal justice system for years, and, formerly, directly with incarcerated members of my community as an indigent defense attorney. I miss that aspect of my work, and I have seen firsthand the impact that organizations like this can have. Through volunteering, I hope to have a small impact on and to maybe improve someone experiencing incarceration’s day, feel as though I’m doing something tangible to subvert the purely punitive motives of the PIC, and potentially meet like-minded individuals. - Courtney, BTB volunteer Purple background with a graphic of books lined up and the Books Through Bars logo at the bottom