Collect books here. Share them where they're needed.
A clear mission, honest about where we are and where we're going.
Our Goals
Mission
Put books into the hands of readers who need them
Pages for People collects donated books from the Bay Area community and distributes them directly to children and families with limited access to reading, at girls' homes and orphanages in India, and through community partnerships locally.
Vision
Every child has a book they chose and want to read
We believe access to books matters, but engagement matters more. Our goal is not just to move books from one place to another; it's to create readers by connecting each child with a book they're genuinely excited about.
The reading gap is real
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), roughly two-thirds of fourth graders in the U.S. are not reading at grade level. The gap is wider for students in low-income communities, who often have fewer books at home and limited access to libraries. Research consistently shows that children with as few as 20 books in the home are significantly more likely to complete higher levels of education.
In many parts of India, the situation is starker. Children at residential homes and orphanages may have almost no personal reading material. The desire to read is there; the access is not.
Every book donated through Pages for People is a small, concrete step toward closing that gap, not by building an institution, but by putting one book at a time into one child's hands.
Source: NAEP Reading Assessment
What we've done with what we have
Pages for People is a student-run initiative founded by Sarayu Bhavaraju, not a large nonprofit. These numbers reflect real, hands-on work: every book personally collected, sorted, and delivered.
200+
Books collected & distributed
India & U.S.
Distribution across two countries
Hands-on
Every distribution includes reading together
Two channels, both direct
We don't hand books off to a middleman. Distribution is personal: we know where the books end up because we bring them there ourselves.
India
Girls' Homes & Orphanages
During visits to India, books are brought directly to children's residential homes, including Balika Nilayam, a girls' home where we've done multiple distribution visits. Books are sorted by age and interest before each trip, and every visit includes reading sessions with the children to spark their interest before gifting the books.
Bay Area, California
Local Community Partners
In the San Jose and broader Bay Area, we're building partnerships with community organizations, after-school programs, and family service groups to distribute books locally. This channel is newer and growing. If your organization serves families or children who could use books, we'd like to hear from you.
Reading together, not just giving away
What makes Pages for People different is how books are shared, not just that they are.
Curated, Not Random
Books are sorted by age group and reading level before distribution. We try to match books to readers (a picture book for a six-year-old, a novel for a teenager) rather than giving everyone the same stack.
Read Together First
At every distribution visit, we read a few chapters with the children before handing over the books. This turns a donation into a shared experience, and means the child already wants to keep reading when they leave.
Quality Checked
Every donated book is checked to make sure it's in good, readable condition. No water damage, no missing pages, no books that would feel like getting someone's discards. The goal is a book worth keeping.