14th Annual Book Share a HUGE success!

2026 event has been set for September 19th and 20th

SEEDS hosted the 14th annual Book Share this past September at the Wayne County Fairgrounds and with over 35,000 books donated and over 23,000 rehomed!  

Each year, we start with no books on the shelves, and individuals are asked to drop off books to find new homes. 188 volunteers, donating 747 hours of their personal time, then worked over a 5-day period to sort and shelve all the books donated. It is an incredible undertaking and one of the biggest recycling events in our region. Many of the volunteers return year after year. Some of these volunteers include SEEDS Board Members, but most of them are avid readers with a sincere love of books, and recycling.   

The books that are donated are then sorted by topic for easy reference, such as arts and crafts, history, business, and a large assortment of non-fiction. The children’s book section is always a popular stop for families looking to expand their children’s library at no cost.  At the end of the Book Share, the books not taken are either recycled or shipped to New Legacy Books in New Jersey. New Legacy is a company that resells books to raise funds for non-profits in their community.  

This year’s event was coordinated by Jessica Kjera who did a phenomenal job coordinating the event and worked diligently to raise funds from some community sponsors. Also, a big shout out to volunteers Jean Kammer and Linda Lohner who assisted with the coordination of the army of volunteers.  

We cannot do this event each year without monetary donations from our community and sponsors each year. Besides the generous donations from attendees at the event, SEEDS would like to thank our annual sponsors for 2025 which include Buselli Solutions, Brookfield Renewable, Grimm Construction Inc., Pioneer Construction Co., Inc, Dirlam Brothers Lumber Company, Natures Grace, RE/MAX Wayne, Woodloch, Citizens Savings Bank and Platform Industries. The Book Share also received funding from the Wayne County Community Foundation and support from the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau to support this event.    

SEEDS would like to thank not only our volunteers and community sponsors, but also a big thank you to all the book-loving people of the community that attend each year.  It is contagious enthusiasm when people find books they haven’t read in years, cherished childhood books that bring back memories, and treasures they have been searching for.   

 If this sounds like an event you can’t miss, mark your calendars as the 2026 event has been set for September 19th and 20th at the Wayne County Fairgrounds. If you have a library of books or just a few to donate, start collecting now! If you would like to make a monetary donation to help support the Book Share or sign up to get updates on next year’s event visit the SEEDS website at www.seedgroup.net.  

Since 2012, the Annual Free Book Share has handled over 300,000 pieces of paper media with more than 100,000 books finding new homes!

Over 300,000 Books Donated!
Every year hundreds of dedicated volunteers travel from as far away as New York City to connect with each other as they count and sort every single book!

Over 100,000 Re-homed!
Our goal is to find new homes for as many books as possible each year!

Over 10,000 lbs. Shipped!
This event has shipped over 10,000 pounds of books to support global and domestic literacy efforts. Including working with Operation Paperback an organization that distributes books to our veterans serving around the globe and at home.

If you’d like to volunteer check out the opportunities and dates listed below!