Local Nonprofit Provides Free and Low Cost Books to EP Children

In case you didn’t know, and I must admit that I wasn’t aware, there is a local nonprofit organization committed to providing free and low-cost books as well as other resources to El Paso children and educators.

Books are Gems is located at 7744 North Loop, Suite B and while their hours of operation are currently curtailed due to the pandemic, Books are Gems is still finding a way to open up their bookstore for a couple of hours on Wednesdays and Fridays.  On Saturday mornings, they have a virtual storytime that’s made available to anybody who wants to participate.

In the past, they’ve event provided some Test Prep support for students and free used books along with unlimited teaching materials to El Paso area educators. These two programs are currently postponed due to the pandemic but will hopefully be able to resume those services in the future.

Back in August, Books are Gems suffered some bad luck when a leak led to the damage of 8,000 new books.  Thankfully, El Paso Electric provided a $10,000 donation that helped them recover from that loss and continue operating through at least the end of this year.

If you’d like to donate or volunteer as well, you may find information on doing so by heading over to booksaregems.org or their Facebook page by clicking here.

• What: Books Are Gems Nonprofit Bookstore
• Where: 7744 North Loop, Suite B
• Phone: 915-845-5437
• Email: contact@booksaregems.org
• Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and Fridays
• Virtual Storytime: 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Saturdays via Books Are Gems Facebook page.