Community organizations the bus visits or partners with

We are delighted to be partnering with The Boys & Girls Club - Southwood Unit.  The Free Book Bus visits on the first Wednesday of every month, from 4pm-5:15. Look for us near the clubhouse. Everyone is welcome!  

We are delighted to be working with Charlottesville City School's Family Engagement Program. The bus will participate in events such as the annual Charlottesville City School's Back to School Bash and more. 

A new partnership in 2023, Sin Barreras provides direct services to clients, runs workshops to provide resources and education (for both the Spanish and English speaking communities), and participates in advocacy initiatives that affect our clients. The book bus is visiting Townwood every month in partnership with Sin Barreras. 

Community Bikes will be joining us at certain stops to provide free bike repairs for kids! See our calendar for details. They are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) bicycle shop that promotes environmentally-sound transportation, recycles bicycles, and makes cycling accessible in Charlottesville. 

The Free Book Bus will be visiting families at Hearthwood throughout the year. At this stop, we see families who speak Arabic, Dari, Hindi, Nepali, and more, in addition to English. We are very happy to be making regular stops here! 

Since 2021, we visit Timberland every month on the second Wednesday. 

Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle has been serving our community since 1977.  As an independent local organization, they rely on contributions from our community to keep our wheels turning. Most of their clients are on low or fixed incomes and are not able to pay for meal services. 

Nelson County Pantry is a privately funded, non-profit organization operated entirely by volunteers and the generous contributions from local churches, civic organizations, businesses and private individuals. They provide nutritional meats, produce, baked goods and canned foods to more than 250 families each month.

North Branch School was our beloved school home (for our boys and us) for 11 years. Founded in 1983, North Branch is an independent, not-for-profit school for pre-school through 8th grade in Afton. When we visit NBS once a year, our stop is funded through private donations and a special fund at North Branch. 

PACEM is a grassroots organization that works with 80 local congregations  and community groups and 3,000 volunteers to provide Wintertime shelter  and related services to the homeless. Their name is the Latin word for  “peace” and also an acronym for “People And Congregations Engaged in  Ministry.”

 The Free Book Bus does outreach and seasonal events with Ready Kids - Healthy Families. Healthy Families fosters nurturing family relationships for pregnant moms and safe environments for young children through regular home visiting.

We are excited about our partnership with Nelson County schools. In November 2022, we started visiting Nelson's 2nd-4th graders monthly. 

As of spring 2022, we are partnering with Habitat for Humanity at Southwood. We will visit the Southwood Community on a regular basis, stopping throughout the neighborhood. Keep an eye on our calendar for details! 

PHAR is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to advocating for and with public housing residents. They are entirely governed by public housing residents and one Section 8 resident. The Free Book Bus is excited to be providing a summer reading program and regular visits to city residents through PHAR. 

We are very happy to partner with Virginia Institute of Autism! The book bus visits both Charlottesville campuses, allowing students and adults (and teachers) to choose books in a safe and comfortable setting. Thanks to a grant from the Perry Foundation, we were able to purchase a wheelchair lift that we use at VIA. 

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