Thanks for helping
PoWeR! Book Bags
expand children's possibilities for 5 years!!!

With your help, we have provided materials to children to support language, literacy, and human interactions through playing, writing, and reading.
Giving children books, writing materials, and puppets DOES make a difference.

Beyond bringing smiles to children's faces as they select their books to keep, these materials help children explore new ideas, figure out what they are thinking and feeling, and consider the ideas of others. These materials also expand opportunities for children to practice literacy skills and over time, to fall in love with literacy!

  • When we invite children to CHOOSE their own books, they are more likely to read and reread them!
  • When we give children materials for writing, they can write on their own about anything they want -- and they will write more, more often!
  • When they play with the puppet and the other literacy materials in the bag, they are creating critical connections in their brains and with others that are priceless!

"I just wanted to write you a quick note to thank you, and everyone that works with Power Book Bags, for supplying our students with new books! Many of our students would not have access to them without your generous donations. The kids get so excited when they get to pick out several books from the selections that you provide.  
Thanks again for keeping books in our kids' hands-- we are all very appreciative!"
Mandy Ford, Traverse Heights Elementary School

"I wanted to thank you for donating books for our school's virtual reading night. My students were so excited to receive new books to keep and read at home. We appreciate all that you have done for our students.  
This has been a crazy year due to COVID, but your organization has helped make reading night really special.
Thank you so much!"
Christy Varnum, Kindergarten Teacher, Traverse Heights Elementary
This month, we will be giving books and writing materials to children at our participating schools prior to spring break! Between schools and our other programs, about 14,000 books will be going into children's homes throughout March!

Dear Friend,
Do you know what March 4th was?! It was the 5th anniversary of PoWeR! Book Bags’ first delivery of books and bags to kids! From that first small start at three food pantries, we have grown by leaps and bounds. We now have partnerships with many more pantries, sites for family assistance, schools, libraries, WIC, Women’s Resource Centers, and Early Head Start! In five short years, we have given over 175,000 books and over 40,000 book bags filled with language and literacy opportunities to children throughout Lower Northwest Michigan.

We are all about building language, literacy, and social interaction skills to help underserved children have a better future. Did you know that by bringing books and writing materials into the house, it can actually change the educational culture of that household? When we add books, writing materials, and play opportunities into a child’s home, we can alter the outcome for this generation and those to come. That’s pretty exciting!

You can help continue this exciting transformation in the homes of children in lower Northern Michigan by donating to PoWeR! Book Bags. For 2021, donations of $300 per taxpayer ($600 married) will be deductible on your tax return even if you don’t itemize!
$1.50 = 1 book for a child. $13.50 sponsors 1 child for a whole year with a bag, puppet, writing/playing booklets and 6 books!

We have always tried to go where we are needed, and now we are needed more than ever! Due to the ongoing pandemic, there are children who have not been in school for over a year. We are trying to add more materials to help kids Play, Write, and Read to keep them engaged and learning. We CAN empower them today for a better tomorrow. Your donations go towards supplying children at all of our participating programs with literacy materials.

I received my stimulus check the other day. There was no “thing” I thought of to buy that would be more satisfying than helping kids have more opportunities to play, write, and read. I want more kids to grow up to be successful in their lives because I can support their language learning.
Won’t you join me?

Nancy Pringle, Fundraising Chair PoWeR! Book Bags
Donations may be sent to PoWeR! Book Bags at
PO Box 533 Suttons Bay, MI 49682 or by clicking the button below.
And YES! We still are in need of assistance to make our homemade book bags. We expect to use 6000 bags just with the WIC partnership alone. We are about halfway there. PLEASE consider sewing! We even have material and a pattern available for you to use as a guide.

In addition to 2 books, the puppet, a box of crayons, and a bookmark, each bag will include 2 writing booklets. This means we also need at least 12,000 booklets created. Help?!

Click the button below if you have any questions and/or to volunteer for filling bags or making deliveries! We are so grateful and couldn't do what we do without EVERYONE!
PoWeR! Book Bags is POWERED by YOU!
Thank you for all you do to make our community a better place!