Introduction
Welcome to our guide to 18 Places to Donate Books and More in Singapore! Donating books and other items is a wonderful way to support the community and contribute to a more sustainable environment. In Singapore, there are numerous organizations and initiatives that accept donations of books, clothes, toys, and other essentials. Whether you’re looking to declutter your home or simply want to give back, this guide highlights various places where you can donate and make a positive impact.
BOOK DONATION DRIVES & POP-UP EVENTS
1. Sony’s South Africa Mobile Library Project (SAMLP)
The SAMLP is organized by the Sony Group in Singapore to support the education and future of South African children. Books are shipped off South Africa and moved in portable libraries to neighborhood schools, offering understudies and educators a chance to acquire the books. This year’s donation fortnight, now in its 14th year, begins on Monday! Give English language books appropriate for kids and youth as long as 15 years of age, excluding reference books, reference books, evaluation books, course readings, and magazines. Where and how to drop off your books: From September 18 to October 1, 2023, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., visit the Sony Store at #02-28/37, 313@Somerset. For more details, go to their website.
2. Declutter & Donate by Peace of Art
Peace of Art is a group of volunteers who have joined forces to raise money for the Young Hearts program of the Singapore Red Cross (SRC). This 100% foundation drive finishes in the most energizing preloved market occasion of the year in November. Be that as it may, meanwhile, they need your activity. Clean up your home and assist with engaging oppressed youngsters from public rental lodging. Donate gently used children’s books, clothing, toys, designer goods, and stylish clothing. Shiny new things are welcome as well. Where/How to Drop off your things at the SRC office situated at #02-08, YWCA Singapore from this point until 30 September, and at the SRC drop-off at #07-23, 51 Cuppage Street from 1 to 15 October. The assortment focuses are open from 10 am to 4 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. More data here.
3. FairPrice Share-A-Textbook Project
Recycling and thriftiness are promoted as part of NTUC FairPrice’s ongoing effort to assist needy families in paying for their children’s education. Beginning around 1983, the task has helped more than 280,000 poor understudies through the assortment of over 6.8 million course readings. Keep an eye out for news about the annual donation drive in November. Give Previously owned school reading materials that are still looking great. Do check the supported course book list in advance to see whether your reading material is still important for the ongoing schedule. An encyclopedia, storybooks, and assessment books are all welcome. Where and how to drop off: FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, Warehouse Club, FairPrice supermarkets, and FairPrice Xpress stores at Esso service stations are all locations where you can drop off. Visit their site for additional subtleties.
4. Marymount Youth Network Book Donation Drive
Marymount Youth Organization welcomes you to impart the delight of information to the individuals who might not have the honor of picking the books they own. Ensure that there are no scribbles or pages that have been torn. They hold book drives once or twice a year, the most recent of which took place in July 2023. Youngsters’ fiction, course books, and SingLit are a portion of the subjects that might change from one occasion to another. Where/How to Drop off at the Marymount People Group Club office at 191 Sin Ming Road. Visit their Facebook page for refreshes on their next occasion.
5. Singapore Free Market (SRRFM)
The SRRFM is a spring-up market where everything is outrageously free. Through the sharing of resources, it hopes to strengthen the community. On the off chance that you have any things, administrations, or abilities that would help your neighborhood local area — which you wouldn’t fret offering for anything you’re free to set up a slow down. Give Things like books, toys, or clothing. You can likewise offer your abilities or administrations to other people (like back rubs, tarot readings, yoga illustrations, and so on). Where/How Various areas all through Singapore happen once consistently or two. The keep going SRRFM was on 9 August. Check their Facebook page for the following occasion and to find out more.
PERMANENT PLACES TO DONATE BOOKS
6. Books Beyond Borders
In 2017, Randall took on the challenge of solo backpacking through Nepal and discovered a world far removed from the comforts he had grown up in Singapore. On his return, he was motivated to begin Books Past Lines. The thought was to sell delicately read books to raise assets for instructive undertakings in country places requiring proficiency support. Give Old and new English books for kids and grown-ups (fiction and true to life) that are still looking great. What they accept and don’t accept, which changes frequently, can be found on their website. Where/How to Pack your preloved books into a reused box and organize a get. Alternatively, you can schedule a time to drop them off at Kong Beng Industrial Building, 41 Jalan Pemimpin, room 03-01E. You can likewise help by shopping at their bookshop, situated at #01-08, 33 Erskine Street.
7. Dignity Mama
A drive-by friendly undertaking Venture Poise, Respect Mother slows down selling handed-down books, overseen by youthful grown-ups with extraordinary requirements and their folks. The project helps kids with special needs run a business and gives them the skills and self-assurance they need. Donate English books, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as magazines like Reader’s Digest, National Geographic, and Young Scientists. Also donate comics, educational toys, flashcards, and educational toys. Where/How Respect Mother stands are situated at Changi General Clinic, Khoo Teck Puat Clinic (above), Public College Emergency Clinic, Ng Teng Fong General Clinic, and Sengkang General Medical Clinic. Top off this structure to orchestrate to drop off your books, and a Pride Mother supervisor will be in contact.
8. MINDS Shop
The Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) runs four thrift stores named MINDS Shop. It offers their intellectually disabled clients pre-vocational training and employment in retail and customer service. Each store carries carefully selected preloved items that deserve a new lease of life.
Donate Books, baby equipment (high chair, car seats, etc), electronic gadgets, clothes, accessories, furniture, kitchenware, collectibles, sporting gear, musical instruments, and tools.
Where/How You can donate preloved goods — and shop — at MINDS Shops located at 800 Margaret Drive and 30 Woodlands Ring Road. (The outlet at 29 Rosyth Road is currently closed for maintenance.) You can also shop at MINDS Shop Plus at #01-29, 71 Redhill Road, and online at the MINDS eShop.
9. One Bag One Book
Award-winning poet Zakir Hossain Khokan, himself a Bangladeshi migrant worker, created a book-sharing initiative for his fellow foreign workers. As its name suggests, his aim for One Bag One Book is to put a book in every worker’s bag. Through this, he hopes to offer his peers a source of comfort — and improved literacy — while far from home.
Donate Books in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Singhalese, and other South Asian languages. Preferably novels, poetry, history, and motivational books.
Where/How To donate books, email onebagonebook@gmail.com. Alternatively, stay tuned to their Facebook page for updates on book drives.
10. Red Shield Industries by The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army runs programs and social services to help meet the needs of the underprivileged in the community. Its social enterprise arm, Red Shield Industries, recycles donations-in-kind to generate funds through its Family Thrift Stores. So if you have plenty of old books to spare and would like to contribute, consider donating them here.
Donate Hardback or paperback books. Besides books, you may also donate preloved toys, clothing, bags, furniture, household goods, and electronic devices.
Where/How Drop off your items at any of the Donation-In-Kind booths which are located all over the island. For bulkier items, you may arrange for a collection service.
11. Thryft
An online thrift store, Thryft is dedicated to recirculating quality books and clothes responsibly. It uses sustainable packaging and carbon-neutral shipping and also contributes credits from books you donate and an additional 1% of profits to non-profit organizations. It also just launched an offline store, complete with children’s reading corner, at Peace Centre for six months.
Donate Any English titles, including fiction and non-fiction, children’s books, tertiary-level textbooks, religious texts, reference books, and dictionaries, as well as clothes in good condition.
Where/How to Drop off your items at #02-08, Peace Centre, or #02-00, 23 Kian Teck Road (books only). For over 200 items, you can arrange for a pick-up service for a flat $15 fee. You can also choose to trade in your items for Thryft credits.
FACEBOOK GROUPS & MOBILE APPS
12. Books Don’t Throw (Singapore)
At 77,888 members and counting, Books Don’t Throw (Singapore) is the largest local book-sharing Facebook group. The group admins hope to promote reading, reduce waste, and spread kindness by giving books a second lease of life. The result is a friendly community where members often share reading-related memes or tips on maintaining books.
Donate Any and all books, magazines, and even music scores. School test papers and enrichment center materials — as well as disrespectful or spammy behavior — are a huge no-no, however.
Where/How Join the Facebook group and post photos and details of what you want to barter or give away. When other group members indicate their interest, you can make mutual arrangements for collection.
13. BUY SELL KIDS BOOKS @ SG Book Swap
This Facebook bunch is explicitly for guardians in Singapore who have preloved youngsters’ books to sell. You can likewise decide to trade books your kids as of now not read for different titles from individual guardians. Obviously, you could basically really like to ‘favor’ another person with the books. Give any children’s books to charity. Except for flashcards, there are no toys or educational tools. Where/How: To sell or swap something, join the Facebook group and post photos and a price. At the point when intrigued purchasers remark on your post, you can make common plans to finish the exchange.
14. School Kaki
Begun by a gathering of guardians, School Kaki is a Facebook bunch for those hoping to share utilized school-related things. It has likewise generated a Wire channel. Since it is not a charity but rather a platform for sharing and giving, there is no money exchange permitted. Give Utilized reading material, appraisal books, outfits, school sacks, and writing material. Anything an understudy needs is gladly received. Where/How to Join the Facebook bunch as well as the Message channel. Just make a post about what you wish to share, and the people who are intrigued can reach out.
15. Share-Your-Book @ South West x Sharetings
This is an initiative by South West CDC to encourage residents to donate their preloved storybooks to community libraries or reading corners in the district. For every donation, earn recycling points on the ALBA STEP UP mobile app to redeem vouchers or discounts from participating retailers. Alternatively, you can choose to bless others with the books directly via the Sharetings app.
Donate Any books that are in good condition.
Where/How Download the Sharetings mobile app and create an account (you don’t have to be a South West district resident). Click on the Share-Your-Book @ South West banner and submit your listing. Once accepted, you will receive an email on how to drop off your books. Or list them under the Books category to exchange with or give to other users.
16. Olio
With over 7 million Olio-ers worldwide, Olio is one of the most popular freecycling apps in Singapore. While most know it as a food-sharing platform, it also has a non-food section, where you can give and get anything just about anything you can think of. Pass on what you don’t need to someone who does, and help save the earth while you’re at it!
Donate Books, clothes, toys, food, and anything else you no longer need.
Where/How Download the Olio mobile app and create an account. Simply snap a photo of your items and post it with a pick-up location, then check your messages. Someone near you who’s interested will reach out.
LIBRARIES
17. Little Libraries
Many more community libraries continue to pop up at void decks in various neighbourhoods islandwide. Besides those run by Residents’ Committees (RC), many are set up by kindhearted individuals. Open to the public, anyone is welcome to borrow or exchange books. But as no one is obligated to return them, shelves may sometimes run dry. Hence this is another avenue via which you can donate books in Singapore.
Here’s a list of ‘little libraries’ that was kindly compiled by Simon Tay, one of the founders/admins of Books Don’t Throw (Singapore). Do note that it’s not exhaustive, and the information may change at any time. Do help by commenting on the post if you spot anything wrong or come across a new library that isn’t listed — it’s a community effort!
18. Public Libraries
Did you know that National Library Board libraries in Singapore allow you to donate previously owned books? Book Exchange Corners can be found in a lot of our public libraries. At these designated shelves, you can leave your books for other book lovers to enjoy.
- Ang Mo Kio Public Library
- Bedok Public Library
- Bishan Public Library
- Geylang East Public Library
- Jurong Regional Library
- Queenstown Public Library
- Toa Payoh Public Library
- Woodlands Regional Library
Conclusion
We hope this guide has provided you with valuable insights into the diverse options available for donating books and other items in Singapore. By donating, you not only help those in need but also promote recycling and reduce waste. Whether you choose to support a charity, contribute to a library, or help local communities, your donations can make a significant difference in someone’s life. Remember, every contribution counts, no matter how big or small. Thank you for considering to donate and for making a positive impact on our community!
