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Opportunity Details

PDX Books Through Bars (age 13+) *Hands On*

Hands On Managed projects offer you an opportunity to join a group of volunteers on a done-in-a-day project led by a Hands On Volunteer Leader

PDX Books Through Bars (formerly Books to Prisoners) mails literature and educational books to adults in custody nationwide. We help liberate individuals experiencing incarceration through means of  literature and educational materials.

Books Through Bars holds a volunteer project every Tuesday night from 5:30-7:30 pm to answer requests (letters) from adults in custody. Volunteers will read requests, pull appropriate books from the shelves, and package them for mailing.



Books Through Bars:

  1. Up to 10 volunteers each week through Hands On Portland. Every Tuesday from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. 

  2. Masks are required. There will be a max of 10-12 people between Hands On volunteers and our core committee.

  3. The space is ADA accessible and there are all gender restrooms on site. We have multiple hand sanitizer bottles in the room for people to use, and the option to set up a station outside if preferred. 

  4. Volunteers will need to rind the doorbell at the front doors if they aren't propped open. ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST SIGN UP BEFORE SHOWING.

Because we get so many books donated, books will be available for purchase (sliding scale) every Tuesday night during the volunteer shift, and we will also always generate a pile of free books for people to take. Prisoners often send us stamps as well, but because we use pirate ship for postage, we don't use physical stamps. We have a stash of stamps if you would like to buy some from us on a Tuesday night which will go toward postage costs.

*Due to a shortage in funds, we are unable to send out as many book packages as we can create with the help of volunteers (books are heavy!). Feel free to bring a few dollars to donate if you can; every cent adds up to enable us to send out more packages more quickly!


Project Requirements:

  • Volunteers must be 13 years of age or older to attend this project; any volunteer under age 16 must attend with a parent or adult chaperone.

  • All volunteers under 18 are required to bring a Youth Volunteer Release Form signed by their parent or legal guardian. Please download, complete, and bring this waiver with you on the day of the project.

  • If you plan to bring children or guests you MUST reserve slots for them. The best way to do this is to create a Volunteer Team, then sign up your team for this project.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: You are responsible for ensuring that everyone signed up through your team attends - only sign up team members who have confirmed their availability. Teams that repeatedly sign up, but do not show up or show up with fewer volunteers than they signed up, may be removed. To add or remove team members from a project, click on "My Account" and then "My Teams," above.

Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot! Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.

The opportunity date and time you are looking for is no longer available. Here are the next available dates and times.
Adult Education, Civic & Community
Low-income Communities, Other, Offenders/Ex-offenders
Other,Collecting, Sorting & Packaging

Age Minimum (with Adult): 13+, Minimum Age:16+, Court Ordered Volunteer - Allowed

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  • Choose an existing team you're already a member or captain of, or
  • Create a new team to sign up.

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