Literacy starts with community
Strong literacy skills start with exposure and access to reading materials. At The Story Orchard, we collect new and used books for all reading levels and put them in the hands of kids, families, and educators in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area at no out-of-pocket cost through community programming.
Whether we’re buzzing around North Minneapolis on our Book Bike Mobile handing out a few titles at a time to neighborhood kids at the park or helping local teachers stock up their classroom library from our book warehouse The Story Orchard empowers Twin Cities community members to choose reading materials, cultivate literacy skills, and grow their own success.
Whether we’re buzzing around North Minneapolis on our Book Bike Mobile handing out a few titles at a time to neighborhood kids at the park or helping local teachers stock up their classroom library from our book warehouse The Story Orchard empowers Twin Cities community members to choose reading materials, cultivate literacy skills, and grow their own success.
Services We Provide
Book Bike Mobile
Our Book Bike Mobile gets out and about every summer at community events, block parties, and more to share the fun of reading and bring books directly to those kids and families that need them most. So far, we’ve distributed more than 2,000 books!
Our Book Bike Mobile gets out and about every summer at community events, block parties, and more to share the fun of reading and bring books directly to those kids and families that need them most. So far, we’ve distributed more than 2,000 books!
Books for Schools
Every classroom needs books, but educators don’t always receive the funding they need to get them there. That’s where the Story Orchard comes in. We do the legwork of collecting donated books and then open up our warehouse doors to educators who can come in and take the titles that are right for their students
Every classroom needs books, but educators don’t always receive the funding they need to get them there. That’s where the Story Orchard comes in. We do the legwork of collecting donated books and then open up our warehouse doors to educators who can come in and take the titles that are right for their students
Community Book Room
We’re so excited about what we’ve accomplished so far getting books into our community. But, access is just the first step. We’re currently raising funds to open a permanent, multipurpose community space on Minneapolis’ North Side where kids and families can not only drop in to grab a few books, but also take advantage of high-quality opportunities for all community members focused on literacy embedded in art, music, science and engineering projects aligned with Minnesota state learning standards.
Here's what we envision:
Pre-school and Early Childhood Family Education Programs
Youth and Teen Programs
Adult Programs
Occasional Opportunities Based on Need
We’re so excited about what we’ve accomplished so far getting books into our community. But, access is just the first step. We’re currently raising funds to open a permanent, multipurpose community space on Minneapolis’ North Side where kids and families can not only drop in to grab a few books, but also take advantage of high-quality opportunities for all community members focused on literacy embedded in art, music, science and engineering projects aligned with Minnesota state learning standards.
Here's what we envision:
Pre-school and Early Childhood Family Education Programs
- Weekly pre-school and family story hour
- Weekly art, music, math, and science projects and programming
- Embedded positive parenting education and family support
Youth and Teen Programs
- Weekly book clubs
- Weekly art and engineering projects and programming
- Weekly coding projects
Adult Programs
- Book clubs
- All-level writing classes including poetry, personal narrative, and fiction
- Family and parenting groups
Occasional Opportunities Based on Need
- Financial literacy classes
- Adult English language conversation groups
- Sessions on navigating the public school system and special education
- Push-in services to local schools, community centers, and other non-profit