I've loved reading for as long as I can remember. Growing up between India and the United States, books were one of the constants: they traveled with me, and they were always there when everything else was changing.
When I moved back to the U.S. for middle school, I brought that love of reading with me. Over the years, my shelves filled up, and eventually, I started noticing how many books I'd already read and wouldn't read again. Good books, just sitting there.
At the same time, during visits to India, I saw children at girls' homes and orphanages who had almost nothing to read. Not because they weren't interested; they were curious, eager, excited when someone brought a story to share. They just didn't have access.
Not just dropping off boxes
Pages for People started as a simple idea: collect the books that people in my community no longer needed and bring them to children who did. But I didn't want it to be a drop-off-and-leave operation. I'd seen too many well-meaning donation drives where boxes get delivered and then sit untouched because no one connects the books to the readers.
So when I distribute books, especially at children's homes in India, I sit with the kids. I read a few chapters out loud, talk about the story, let them pick what interests them. By the time they walk away with a book, they're already invested in it. They want to keep reading.
How it works today
Books are collected in the San Jose and broader Bay Area, from families, from friends, from community members who hear about what we're doing and want to contribute. I sort them, check quality, and organize them by age and reading level.
Distribution happens through two channels. During visits to India, I bring books directly to girls' homes and orphanages, including Balika Nilayam, a girls' home where I've done multiple visits. In the Bay Area, I'm building partnerships with local organizations to expand the reach here as well.
So far, we've collected and distributed over 200 books across both countries. It's not a massive number; we're not a large nonprofit with a warehouse. But every one of those books is in someone's hands because a real person took the time to make sure it got there and that the child on the other end was excited to read it.
What's next
I'm working on growing the collection side, making it easier for people in the Bay Area to donate, including through school and community drives. I'm also exploring partnerships with organizations that ship books internationally, so we can send more books to India and potentially other countries without being limited to what fits in a suitcase.
The vision is straightforward: more books reaching more children who want to read but don't have the means to buy them. One page at a time.
Sarayu Bhavaraju, Founder