Volunteering

Every week we meet on Saturday and Sunday to match requests with books from our large inventory and prepare packages for mailing. We meet in the basement of a church in Ravenswood. Our space is down a half flight of stairs, and is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds, and you do not need any knowledge or experience with prisons to volunteer. We are an organization committed to being inclusive and anti-racist. You can review our statement of values and code of conduct here.

We are currently at capacity for volunteer orientations. Starting in March 2024, you can again sign up for one of our two monthly orientations. One of our experienced volunteers will provide an overview of our mission, the needs of the people we serve, and our process. Once you’ve been trained, you’ll be invited to volunteer whenever you’d like. Our main activities each week are reviewing letters from women and trans people in prison and selecting books that match the requests, packaging books for mailing, weighing packages, and applying postage, as well as organizing and shelving new donations. Once you have completed orientation, you can sign up in advance for any of our three hour shifts, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday afternoon. You are welcome to sign up for as few or as many shifts as you like.

In addition, there are occasional projects such as research, writing and editing, organizing events, tabling at community events, and fundraising initiatives. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about helping in these ways.