Frequently Asked Questions
What we do, how we do it, and what happens to your books after you donate them.
Pages for People grew out of a personal love of reading. Sarayu Bhavaraju grew up between India and the U.S. and noticed a gap: shelves full of books at home that were already read, and children at girls' homes and orphanages in India who had almost nothing to read. The idea was simple, collect the books people no longer needed and bring them to children who did. You can read the full story on our Our Story page.
Books are distributed through two channels. During visits to India, they're brought directly to girls' homes and orphanages, including Balika Nilayam, a girls' home where we've done multiple visits. In the Bay Area, we're building partnerships with community organizations, after-school programs, and family service groups to distribute books locally.
Currently, books are transported to India during personal visits and distributed directly at children's homes. We're exploring partnerships with international book-shipping organizations to increase the volume of books we can send without being limited to personal travel. If you know of organizations that could help, we'd welcome the connection, reach out on our contact page.
Books should be gently used and in readable condition, intact covers, no missing pages, no mold or water damage. Light wear is fine; heavy highlighting or writing throughout is not. We check every donated book before it goes out. If you're not sure, describe the condition in your email and we'll let you know.
Yes. We accept books in English, Hindi, and Telugu. Many of the children we serve in India read in Hindi or Telugu alongside English, so books in those languages are especially useful.
We coordinate pickups and drop-offs in the San Jose and South Bay area. When you email us, we'll share the most convenient option based on your location. If you're outside the South Bay but still in the Bay Area, reach out anyway, we may be able to arrange something.
We're happy to hear your preferences. While we can't guarantee exact placement, we sort books by age group and reading level before distribution, and we do our best to match donations to the needs of specific communities.
Pages for People is not currently a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Book donations are not tax-deductible at this time. We're a student-run community initiative focused on direct action: collecting and distributing books where they're needed.
At this time, we focus on book donations rather than monetary gifts. If you'd like to support us in other ways, consider volunteering your time, help with sorting, pickups, or spreading the word. See our contact page for volunteer information.
Yes. We work with schools, libraries, and community organizations both as book donation sources and as distribution partners. If your organization has books to give or serves communities that could use them, please get in touch.