Have you recently done some spring cleaning and found yourself with a pile of books you think deserve a new home in Grand Rapids? The good news is there are three excellent charitable organizations in the Grand Rapids area who would greatly benefit from book donations.
You can help your local library as well as Christian ministries by choosing to donate your books, instead of just throwing them away. And we’ve listed your options here, so you can simply choose the most convenient location, or cause you want to support, to drop off your books!
Feature image credit: GRPL
Friends of the EGR Library
Donation Type: Drop off
Location: 746 Lakeside Dr SE, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-9pm; Fri-Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 1-5pm
Type of Books Not Accepted: Repair manuals, damaged books, CDs/DVDs, informational/textbooks older than 5 years
Donation Tax Receipt: Yes
Website: Friends of the EGR Library
How to Donate
Simply bring your books to the Kent District Library during their opening hours, and a library friend will be happy to assist you.
Why We Love the Friends of the EGR Library
The East Grand Rapids Library relies on the library friends to provide vital funding for a lot of its projects. The books you donate will be sold at their bookstore as well as special book sales throughout the year.
Profits go to things like library supplies, events like movies in the park, and ensuring the library can keep hosting book clubs and summer reading programs for children, which is vital in encouraging a generation of new readers!
Mission India Super Thrift
Donation Type: Drop off
Location: 2146 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat 10am-2pm
Donation Tax Receipt: Yes
Website: Mission India Super Thrift
How to Donate
There are no hard and fast guidelines on what this thrift shop does, and does not, accept in terms of book donations. We can assume they’re only happy to take whatever you can give to them, besides things such as outdated encyclopedias and textbooks.
Mission India is a nonprofit that uses its funds from the thrift shop to support the charity’s mission of promoting Christinaity in India and building churches there.
Why We Love Mission India
As well as their religious-based goals, Mission India also strives to increase literacy in the regions it works in, in India. You can find a number of heartwarming stories related to this cause on their website here.
Bibles for Missions Thrift Center
Donation Type: Drop off, Pick up from you, Drop off in book bin
Location: 1054 Leonard St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 11am-3pm
Donation Tax Receipt: Yes
Website: Bibles for Missions
How to Donate
The Bibles for Missions thrift shop doesn’t have any specific donation guidelines regarding books, so any used books in good condition would probably be fine here.
Bibles for Missions operate 15 thrift stores throughout Michigan and the Midwest, with all proceeds going to support their worldwide cause of spreading the word of the Bible. Therefore, if you’re looking to support a local Christian organization with some used books, Bibles for Missions would absolutely be the charity of choice for you.