Turning Pages, Changing Lives: A Multi-Year Book Drive’s Impact

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Anushka Godambe. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Since 2019, Anushka Godambe has been on a mission to bring the joy of reading to underserved communities through an ongoing book drive partnership with BookSpring, a Texas-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting literacy. What began as a modest goal of collecting 100 books has blossomed into a monumental effort, resulting in the donation of over 50,000 books to build home libraries for low-income students. Anushka’s remarkable commitment to literacy has earned her recognition across Austin, Texas, and inspired countless individuals to contribute to this meaningful cause.

Anushka’s book drive has not only grown in scale but also in its ability to adapt to challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when her local library ceased accepting community donations, Anushka took the initiative to redirect those donations to her drive. She partnered with the library and expanded her efforts to include schools, bookstores and neighborhood groups – ensuring a steady stream of books for BookSpring’s Re-Book program. Her innovative approach created a network of support that allowed her to reach thousands of children.

Dedication has been a cornerstone of Anushka’s volunteerism. While balancing her responsibilities as a high school student, she committed two hours each week to collect, sort and pack books for donation. By providing students with access to books, she is fostering a lifelong love of reading and supporting educational equity. Her book drive has brought hope and opportunity to countless children.

Even now, as she attends Stanford University, Anushka is continuing her book drive, ensuring that her passion for literacy and service endures. Read on to find out more about how she’s changing lives, one book at a time.

Tell us about your volunteer role.

I began volunteering in June 2019 with BookSpring, a nonprofit in Austin, Texas. I specifically started a book drive in partnership with BookSpring as part of their Re-Book program. That’s a branch of the organization that accepts gently used books from around the community to give kids in low-income districts. They let these students “shop” for these books, letting them pick out the books they want and take them home. Essentially, the purpose is to provide underserved kids with enough books to build their own home libraries, promoting more reading at home.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

I started within about a year of moving to Austin. I’m originally from California and I wanted to get to know the new place I was living in a bit better. I was already conducting a book drive in California when I saw a flyer for BookSpring, and I decided to reach out to them. I wanted to continue my service work as well as get involved in my new community. I asked if they did book drives, and they said yes.

I went from there. Over the years, I started partnering with local schools, teachers, book stores and libraries to collect donations and scale the book drive. I recently surpassed 50,000 donated books, so the drive has come a long way.

Tell us a bit about the process of procuring the books.

A lot of them come from local neighborhoods. I joined local neighborhood groups to get the word out about the book drives. I noticed that during certain seasons, notably the spring and summer, people are cleaning out their homes and especially their book collections. That’s when a lot of donations come in from members of the local community.

I would give them my address and they would drop off the books to my house. Then, when I started driving in tenth grade, I started driving around Austin to collect book donations as well. My first goal was to get 100 books, which took me about a month to do through word of mouth. But I started gaining greater numbers of donations when I started partnering with local organizations.

I partnered with a local library when, during COVID, they stopped taking donations from the community. Members would donate their books to the library, but once the library stopped accepting them, I reached out and asked, ‘Would you mind deferring those donations to the book drive?’ I wanted those books to still go to a good cause and give library members the option to donate. Not only did the library agree to this, but they promoted my book drive. And that summer, I gained 2,000 donated books. That’s when I realized the power of reaching out to organizations to get the word out.

What are your long-term plans or goals with the book drive as you attend school?

I’ve decided that I absolutely still want to continue doing the book drive. I’m home a lot during holiday breaks. While at school, I’m still coordinating with community members. I ask them if they would mind holding onto the books until I come home. They’re happy to oblige! Now, every holiday break when I’m home, I have a list of people and organizations to pick up books from.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Seeing the power of perseverance. Especially during dry periods when books wouldn’t come in as often, I started losing motivation, asking myself if I’ve collected all the books I possibly could from the Austin area. But I knew it was really meaningful work, and with patience and waiting for more long-term impact, I saw more results. In times I’ve asked myself, ‘Should I end this drive?’ I’ve chosen to continue it, and I’ve seen the power of that perseverance.

More importantly, watching the impact that these books have made on the students has been immensely rewarding. I’ve received donations in different languages and from different cultures, which is wonderful for the bilingual students who now get to read books in, say, Spanish and English. The increased diversity in book donations has been really cool to see.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

I would recommend creating a small goal that you’re comfortable with, and try to attain that goal first. Again, my first goal was 100 books. I’d just moved to Austin. I had no idea who I’d reach out to. So my first goal felt more attainable. That goal would allow me to ask my neighbors, get to know them better, ask my friends at school. Start with a small goal, and then slowly expand the goal. You’ll slowly increase your confidence as well. You don’t have to create an exceptional goal from the beginning – as your confidence grows, expand the goal.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I’d like people to know the power of courage and perseverance. Putting yourself out there can be very scary. I was in eighth grade when I was reaching out to these organizations, thinking, would they ghost me? Would they respond? Would they even care? The thing is, you have nothing to lose by asking. You can only help out your community and gain more self-confidence along the way. Just start.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Anushka? Find local volunteer opportunities.