Current Programs
BookBank USA nonprofit projects started with book donations. We started out publishing, collecting and donating books in 1966 because we know that books carry the gift of knowledge, and they are tools for education proven to lift individuals out of poverty. Today we continue to publish and donate bilingual picture books and also run two additional programs that support nonprofit projects that help the environment and children under hardship in Mexico and the United States.
Program: Education – Books
The roots of our non-profit are in books. We publish bilingual picture books to provide educational tools for children and we sell those bilingual books in Spanish and English to fund projects that care for the environment and children in Mexico and the US. We also donate books to underprivileged children in both countries.
Bilingual picture books are a great educational tool to learn a language because of the image – word correlation. Bilingual books for kids in Spanish/English are also a great way to build vocabulary and develop literacy especially in communities where both languages are spoken.
Program: Environmental Care
We believe that each living being has a role to play in the preservation of life in balance with nature, and so we are committed to doing our part and combining efforts to be the backstage support of projects and people that are working hands-on in conservation projects.
We support two conservation projects in Latin America:
- Sea Turtle Conservation Camp | Playón de Mismaloya, Tomatlán, Jalisco MÉXICO
- Reforestation Project | Rari, Patagonia, CHILE
PROGRAM: CHILDREN AT RISK CARE
There are more unprotected, underprivileged, abused, abandoned, caged and harmed children in the world today that we could ever count. We use our resources, the earnings from the book sales and your kind donations to provide shelter, meals and education to children in foster care in Oaxaca City, México. We’ve previously coordinated projects where groups of foster care children from different homes worked with elders at retirement homes in Mexico City, caring for a vegetable garden and growing food together.
Program: Education – Books
BookBank USA nonprofit projects’ roots are in books. Bilingual picture books are a great educational tool to learn a language because of the image – word correlation. Bilingual books for kids in Spanish/English are also a great way to build vocabulary and develop literacy especially in communities where both languages are spoken. We publish bilingual picture books to provide educational tools for children and we sell those bilingual books in Spanish and English to fund projects that care for the environment and children in Mexico and the US. We also donate books to underprivileged children in both countries.
- All the profits from the sales of our three (as of 2021) bilingual books for children are used to fund the needs of our projects “Environment Care” and “Children at Risk Care”
- So far in 2021, copies of these books have been donated to children in foster homes in Mexico City, migrant children at foster camps in Long Beach and schools for underserved children.
BOOK DONATIONS
MÉXICO and UNITED STATES, several locations
We continue to donate new and unused children’s books in English, Spanish or both to institutions that distribute them to kids who are in need of them. BookBankUSA donates copies of our bilingual picture books as well as new and unused books that are donated to us.
BOOK PUBLICATIONS & SALES
We currently publish bilingual picture books for children with core values and educational worth.
The production is sponsored with our own funds, and the proceeds of the sales of our books are destined to continue the support to the projects “Environmental Care” and “Children at Risk Care”.
Every book you purchase securely with PayPal helps us donate more bilingual books for children and supplies to care for the environment and the livelihoods of foster kids in Mexico.
Program: Environmental care
We believe that each living being has a role to play in the preservation of life in balance with nature, and so we are committed to doing our part and combining efforts to be the backstage support of projects and people that are working hands-on in conservation projects. We know the leaders of these projects personally, but more importantly, we know that they are effective in the work they do.
SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION
Sea Turtle Conservation Camp led by Marine Biologist Alma Lilia Pérez Ortiz
Playón de Mismaloya, Tomatlán, Jalisco MÉXICO
We support a sea turtle conservation camp that is located at Playón de Mismaloya, Tomatlán, Jalisco. Sea turtles have seven variants, six of which nest and reproduce in the Mexican coasts. All seven are on the endangered species list. We provide the camp team with the equipment necessary to conduct night beach patrolling, where they find the nesting turtles, guard them until they finish laying their eggs and return safely to the ocean, and then collect all the eggs to take them to a guarded nesting area. These actions prevent the turtle eggs from being stolen by illegal turtle egg traders or sea turtle poachers. The team cares for the safely guarded nests until they hatch, and when that happens, they make sure that all the baby turtles find their way back to their ocean. They are in charge of building the corral where they re-nest the eggs and keeping it safe from predators and the elements.
We purchase for them and ship them: long and short sleeve white t-shirts in different sizes, white caps or hats, headlamps, sun-powered lamps, cloth bags, and desk/school supplies. We also transfer to them your cash donations so they can buy fuel for their transportation vehicles.
Find more about sea turtle conservation in Mexico here and here.
FOREST & TREE CONSERVATION
Reforestation Project led by Prof. Bret Rogers
Rari, Patagonia, CHILE
We support a reforestation project that is located in the mountains of Rari, Chile.
Maintenance of the pine forests mainly consist of young tree protection from drought and predators (fences and their reparation). Later in the life of the forest, trim the trees on an ongoing basis. Below are some rough costs and items that are required to establish and keep this investment going:
- Land preparation for nursery: Earth movement, access, drainage, firm road surface material / $800
- Construction of nursery: Materials for structure (wooden posts, cement, water access piping, plastic sun protection material, cement); Fabrication (labor costs) / $2,500
- Initial plant material (infant trees): $2,000
- Ongoing maintenance (watering, weed control, sourcing and preparing organic soil, plantings in plastic bags): $100.00/month X 12 = $1,200
If you want to There is also an open donation for maintenance of existing pine forests.
- Baby Pine Tree: $3.00 per tree (includes cost of tree and planting)
- Baby Pine Forest: $100.00 for 100 trees planted together in a specific area (includes cost of trees and planting)
- Baby Native Tree: $5.00 per tree (includes cost of tree, planting and intensive care until established) / Choose from following Chilean Native Varietal Trees: Quillay, Roble, Peumo, Boldo, Araucaria). These trees are 1-2 years old and are 1-3 feet high.
- Young Native Tree: $15.00 per tree (includes cost of tree, planting and intensive care until established) / Choose from following Chilean Native Varietal Trees: Quillay, Roble, Peumo, Boldo, Araucaria). These trees are 3-5 years old and are 3-8 feet high, depending on the species.
- Young Native Tree (Personalized): $30.00 (includes cost of tree, planting and continuous care in specially dedicated “Donation Forest Areas”, name in permanent on-site and web-site donation registry, plaque with donor’s name, digital photo of plaque and tree). / Choose from following Chilean Native Varietal Trees: Quillay, Roble, Peumo, Boldo, Araucaria). These trees are 1-2 years old and are 1-3 feet high.
Program: Children at risk care
FOSTER DAY CARE CENTER – CANICA DE OAXACA A.C.
Foster day care center for children that work on the street
Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, MEXICO
We help support a foster home that currently gives home and education to 78 children in the city of Oaxaca that have either worked on the streets or tagged along street work. Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico despite its many natural resources; 60% of CANICA’s population lives in poverty, and 40% in extreme poverty. All of them currently suffer or have endured some form of violence. We provide a monthly donation to help sustain their activities. If you live outside of Mexico and want to help these children, consider a one-time or periodical donation for them through us. If you live in Mexico you can donate to them directly clicking here.