Books & Breakfast

05/12/2026

Summer is around the corner, and we are looking to serve more students than ever! That's why we are especially excited to announce that several generous B&B champions have come together to *match every dollar raised during our spring campaign up to $50,000!*

That means your impact doubles: $10 becomes $20, $100 becomes $200, and $1,500 becomes $3,000 — enough to sponsor a student for the entire summer.

We have a big goal to reach, and we are looking to friends of B&B, like you, to help us achieve it in time for our summer reading and math intensives.

Thank you to the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation, Mary and Paul Finnegan, Dave and Nicole Berger, Margaret Slayton, Mary Summerville, and our anonymous donors for making this match possible.

Give here: https://www.booksbreakfast.org/donate

(Photo from our campus field trip to Northwestern last week!)

04/30/2026

What do we mean when we say your gift can give Evanston elementary school students a transformational summer?

B&B's Summer Intensives, which provide 1:1 online instruction in Reading and Math, have produced exceptional gains year after year. Last year, students in our Reading Intensives showed an average of four months of reading gains in just six weeks, while students in our Math Intensive jumped ahead an average of 10 months!

Summer is typically a time of learning loss -- but not at Books & Breakfast. Your gifts help make these learning leaps possible. Visit booksbreakfast.org/donate to give today!

04/14/2026

Books & Breakfast is advancing educational equity in partnership with District 65. How -- and why -- do we do what we do? Learn more about our mission by hearing directly from staff, volunteers, students, and parents in our new video.

Visit booksbreakfast.org/donate to support our work.

We're advancing educational equity in partnership with District 65. Learn more about our mission and our work! (2026)

02/03/2026

🥳 B&B launches at Oakton!

We are thrilled to share that last week, B&B successfully launched our eighth school site at Oakton Elementary! From meeting with district and school staff to hiring our Oakton site director to recruiting and training new volunteers, planning a magical first day at Oakton required hard work, dedication, and the incredible generosity of our community. Read all about it in our Winter Update, in your inbox today.

Plus: have you gotten your ticket to the Big B&B Brunch yet? Early bird ticket prices end *next week* so don't delay: http://bit.ly/3ZiMGLh

01/28/2026

From our friends at Northlight Theatre:

"Join Northlight for a series of celebrations highlighting each of Evanston’s nine wards through some of their favorite restaurants. Enjoy appetizers, drinks, and the opportunity to get to know the Northlight and Evanston communities." The next event is at Ten Mile House!

Northlight is generously collecting book donations for Books & Breakfast at this event! We're specifically looking for *new* copies of the following books to include in book packages this spring:
"In A Garden" by Tim McCanna
"A Garden to Save the Birds" by Wendy McClure
"Ruby's Birds" by Mya Thompson"
"Rain!" by Linda Ashman
"Singing in the Rain" based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, illustrations by Tim Hopgood

Learn More and Register Here: https://northlight.org/series/savor-evanston/

01/13/2026

💥 Calling all brunch enthusiasts! 🍳 We're hosting our first ever Big B&B Brunch and we want to see you there. Saturday, March 7 at Sketchbook Brewing Company in Skokie. Food by Evanston chef Ben Janasiak (known lately for his pop-up, Hatchet Burger!) featuring fixins from Rosca, Soul & Smoke, and more to come...Early bird tickets are on sale now through 2/12, so don't miss out! Get yours here: https://bigbooksbreakfastbrunch.eventbrite.com

12/03/2025

Thanks for including B&B in this list, Evanston RoundTable! It's true -- you can volunteer with us this holiday season, and we'd love to have you!

After the shopping craze of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday on Dec. 2 is recognized globally as a day to practice radical generosity and

12/02/2025

This , you can help Books & Breakfast open new doors in 2026! 🏫

We are at a pivotal moment in our pursuit of educational equity. In addition to challenges facing our district, we’re seeing threats to public education on a national scale: rollbacks of protections for special education, the removal of resources for English language learners, and the dismantling of programs that promote diversity and inclusion.

Books & Breakfast is responding by doing what we do best: rising to meet this moment, and bringing people together to open doors for students. We plan to start by expanding our Morning Program to Oakton Elementary School in early 2026!

We hope you'll come along with us! Make a gift today to be part of our work ensuring all children can start the school day physically, emotionally, and academically prepared. ❤️

https://www.booksbreakfast.org/donate

11/06/2025

Looking for ways to support neighbors affected by disruptions to SNAP benefits? The City of Evanston Illinois Government has a list of resources for families in need of food assistance as well as ways to help. Our B&B team is working to make sure all our families know about available resources and can access them during this challenging time.

Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, approximately 1.9 million Illinois residents, including many in Evanston, will experience delays or interruptions in their November 2025 SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.

11/05/2025

Volunteers needed! We're looking for folks to join us this December as substitute tutors while our Northwestern student volunteers are on winter break. We'll provide training! Spanish language abilities are helpful but not required. Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/46d25778