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Leigh Farm Park in South Durham is the site of the 100th book hub installed by Durham-based nonprofit Book Harvest.
The organization celebrated the installation on Aug. 22, underscoring Book Harvest’s past 14 years of providing more than 2.8 million children’s books to families throughout the Triangle and beyond. The brightly colored boxes can be found at laundromats, health clinics, parks, schools, and family centers.
Ginger Young, founder and CEO, reflected on Book Harvest’s early days in 2011, starting with the first hub in Carrboro: “I founded this organization having no idea where we were going. But what I did know is that every child should grow up in a home brimming with books. That conviction, and this community’s support, has carried us from one hub to 100.”
Said Tabitha Blackwell, executive director of Book Harvest Durham: “Book Harvest book hubs don’t just provide books – they build relationships, create home libraries, and spark joy in families’ daily lives. Because of this work, Durham continues to be the City of Books.”
Book hub expansion happened with community investment, including city-allocated funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
City Council Member Javiera Caballero called the 100th installation “a moment of celebration and joy.”
“In Durham, we want everyone to have the opportunity to read, to be curious, and to question the world around them,” Caballero said.
It’s not expected to stop here, Young said: “This milestone is not an endpoint – it’s a threshold. We’re just getting started.”
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