Clear the Shelves, Give Back to the Community
If your shelves are overflowing with books your kids have outgrown — or you’re doing a winter clean-out — here’s a meaningful way to pass them along. More Than Words, a Boston-area nonprofit, accepts book donations and uses them to power a youth-run business that helps young people build job skills, confidence, and pathways to employment. Every donated book supports teens and young adults learning to run a real retail and online operation.
They’ll pick up from your home
If dropping off isn’t an option, pickup can be coordinated depending on your location and the size of the donation. You can request a pickup or learn more here:
More Than Words offers drop-off, mail-in, and pickup options within the Boston metro area.
What they accept
- Gently used children’s books, YA, and adult titles
- Recent fiction and nonfiction
- Textbooks (newer editions)
- Cookbooks, art books, and popular titles
What to skip
- Damaged or moldy books
- Encyclopedias and outdated textbooks
- Heavily marked copies
How your donation helps
Books are sorted, priced, and sold by youth employees. Proceeds fund paid job training, mentorship, and support services for young people navigating challenges like homelessness, foster care, or being out of school.
Decluttering feels even better when it does good. If you’ve got books ready for a second life, More Than Words makes it easy — whether you drop them off or schedule a pickup.
Know another great local donation resource for families? Send it our way — we love highlighting ways our community gives back.
