12/08/2025
At year’s end, each year, we send a personalized letter to each incarcerated person that requested a book from us during the year, updating them a bit on the project and sending our well wishes.
This has been a big year for us so last night we stuffed 981 envelopes. To date, this year we’ve sent 2,262 books to almost 1,000 people incarcerated throughout New York State and well over 7,000 books total since the project’s founding in 2021.
Getting those letters together is a lot of work, so we roll it into a little party to acknowledge and thank our incredible volunteers. This year, the amazing World’s End Comics in Kingston graciously hosted us for an evening of letter signing, envelope stuffing and stamping. Each letter is printed with a personalized comment about the person’s most recent book request. We also add a handwritten note of hope and solidarity. And additionally this year, we helped out the mighty project by passing along word of their recent address change to make sure everyone can stay in touch.
We received donations of delicious and beautiful libations from a few incredible Hudson Valley businesses. Beacon’s Industrial Arts Brewing Co. and Kingston’s West Kill Brewing both gifted us beers and Dirty Bacchus in Beacon donated a couple of bottles of absolutely gorgeous wine. All of these businesses are the real deal: small, local operations that are producing and / or curating at the highest echelon of their respective crafts but who also know the meaning of community, none of whom have ever hesitated for a moment when asked to help support our project. We’re really grateful and we’d encourage you to check out and support these businesses, along with World’s End and of course all of our partner shops, about whom all the above could certainly be said.
We got food from Kingston’s Mi Pueblito and we enjoyed absolutely incredible home cooked Mexican meal.
Sending hope, warmth and gratitude to you all!
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World's End Comics
Binnacle Books
Rough Draft Bar & Books
Oblong Books
Stanza Books
