https://linktr.ee/booksbehindbars

Books Behind Bars, Wildwood, NJ (2026)

03/31/2026

We need your used paperback books! 📖
Here’s a list of books most needed right now.

WE NEED:
Astrology
Tarot
Witchcraft
Paranormal
Horror
Manga
True Crime
Urban Fiction

Please mail book donations to:

Books Behind Bars
PO BOX 2611
Wildwood, NJ 08260

Or you can email us to set up a date & time for drop off to a volunteer.

Please note: Books must be paperback (no hardcovers!) in new or gently used condition with no highlighting, writing, mold, or major rips or stains.

We also have a few online wishlists you can directly order from including Harriet’s Bookshop, a Black woman-owned bookstore in Philly. Wishlist links in our bio. Every book donation directly reaches someone on the inside.

If you have any questions, email 📧 [email protected].

Thank you for contributing to this work and supporting our incarcerated community members! 🖤

[Image Description: Light purple graphic featuring a stack of purple books and white sparkles, that lists our most needed types of books.]

11/03/2025

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
No Holiday Card Drive This Year

After five wonderful years of sending love and solidarity to people on the inside, we are pressing pause on our Holiday Card Drive.

A new NJDOC mail policy now requires all mail to be sent to an out-of-state processing center, where it is photocopied and scanned before being forwarded. That means no original cards, no artwork, no handwritten love - only black-and-white copies.

Because of this change, we’ve decided to not move forward with this year’s card drive.

For now, our focus is on what still reaches people directly: books. Thankfully, our book shipping operations have not been affected by the policy change. We are deeply grateful to continue sending book packages that bring knowledge, comfort, and care past the walls.

We want to thank everyone who has been a part of our Holiday Card Drive over the years, and for making it a part of your own holiday traditions.

If you’d like to keep sharing the warmth this season, please consider donating towards our book shipments instead. You can find the link through the QR code in the graphic or via our Linktree.

How to Support:

🤍 Donate: Venmo or PayPal - every contribution helps!

It costs approximately $7 to send 5 book to an incarcerated reader.

$100 donation covers book shipments for 15 people.

🤍 Purchase Books: Choose titles directly from our wishlists - available on Amazon, ThriftBooks, and Harriet’s.

With love & solidarity,
Books Behind Bars

04/28/2025

8 days left to participate in our Independent Bookstore Week Matching Grant!

From April 21–May 5, every book purchased for Books Behind Bars from our curated wishlists will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000 per list - thanks to a generous donor. That means your donations will be doubled!

This is a chance to send books to incarcerated people AND support some of our favorite radical, independent, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and worker-owned bookstores!

We’ve made a separate wishlist for each of these amazing shops, and your donations also help sustain their vital work:

Find the 4 wishlist links in our bio!

Help us spread the word and move closer to collective liberation - one book at a time.

03/29/2025

Hi friends! Happy Spring! 🌷☺️

We’re almost completely out of books on finance, stocks, investing, and small business - and these titles are highly requested by our incarcerated readers!

Whether folks are dreaming of starting a business when they come home, learning to build generational wealth, or just trying to understand money under capitalism - access to this knowledge is power.

Can you help us restock our money/finance section? Head to our wishlists (QR codes on slide 2!) and send a book or two today.

We have two wishlists you can order from:
📚• Harriet’s Bookshop - a Black woman-owned bookstore in Philly
📚• Amazon

Both links are in our bio and on the second slide. Every book donation directly reaches someone on the inside.

If you have used paperback books on these topics that you’d like to donate, please mail them to:

Books Behind Bars
PO BOX 2611
Wildwood, NJ 08260

Please note, we are currently only accepting used book donations on topics that we most need at this time. You can always find this updated list on our website. Books must be paperback (no hardcovers!) in new or gently used condition with no highlighting, writing, or major rips or stains. If you have any questions, email 📧 [email protected].

Thank you so much for contributing to this work and supporting our incarcerated community members! We couldn’t do it without you! ❤️

12/02/2024

9️⃣ days left to get your cards in!!!

This is our FIFTH annual Holiday Card Drive!
❤️And we need your help to do it again!❤️

The holiday season can be especially hard for our incarcerated friends. Sending cards is a way to share joy, hope and connection. It also shows prison staff that these folks have community on the outside that is watching and looking out for them. With each card, we will enclose information on how they can request free books from our program.

🌲HOW TO PARTICIPATE:🌲

•Get some cards! (Avoid the glittery ones.)
• Write something warm and uplifting. For example: “Dear friend, Thinking of you this holiday season and sending warm wishes. With care and in solidarity.”
• Sign as “[Your First Name] with Books Behind Bars”
• Don’t add any glitter, glue, tape, crayons, paint, or stickers. This may cause them to be rejected.
• Don’t seal the envelopes. We’ll be enclosing information with each card.
• Don’t write anything on the outside of the envelopes. We’ll take care of addressing.
• Please do stamp the envelopes, if you can. (Or donate stamps!)
• When you’re done, stack up the cards and envelopes and mail them in one packet to us at:

Books Behind Bars
PO BOX 2611
Wildwood, NJ 08260

💌 We hope to receive all cards by Dec 10th! (We’ll send in all cards we receive!)

🎁 You can also help by donating to our Venmo or PayPal!

PLEASE SHARE!!!

📸 We love to see photos of you filling out your cards. Tag us so we can reshare in our stories!

Questions? Email:
[email protected]

Thank you for participating in our fifth annual Holiday Card Drive! 🥰

11/16/2024

The count down has begun:

You have 24 days left to get your cards in!

This is our FIFTH annual Holiday Card Drive!!!
❤️And we need your help to do it again!❤️

The holiday season can be especially hard for our incarcerated friends. Sending cards is a way to share joy, hope and connection. It also shows prison staff that these folks have community on the outside that is watching and looking out for them. With each card, we will enclose information on how they can request free books from our program.

🌲HOW TO PARTICIPATE:🌲

•Get some cards! (Avoid the glittery ones.)
• Write something warm and uplifting. For example: “Dear friend, Thinking of you this holiday season and sending warm wishes. With care and in solidarity.”
• Sign as “[Your First Name] with Books Behind Bars”
• Don’t add any glitter, glue, tape, crayons, paint, or stickers. This may cause them to be rejected.
• Don’t seal the envelopes. We’ll be enclosing information with each card.
• Don’t write anything on the outside of the envelopes. We’ll take care of addressing.
• Please do stamp the envelopes, if you can. (Or donate stamps!)
• When you’re done, stack up the cards and envelopes and mail them in one packet to us at:

Books Behind Bars
PO BOX 2611
Wildwood, NJ 08260

💌We hope to receive all cards by Dec 10th! We will then enclose our program info in each card, and mail them out to incarcerated people at every prison in NJ!

🎁 You can also help by donating to our Venmo. See the QR code on slide 2 for the link.

PLEASE SHARE!!!

We’d also love to see photos of you filling out your cards. Tag us so we can reshare in our stories!

Questions? Email:
[email protected]

Thank you for participating in our fifth annual Holiday Card Drive! 🥰

11/11/2024

“I’m getting out soon, and I had to write you one more time, just to thank you for all the books you sent me over the years. You all helped me more than I could ever explain. I hope you know what a blessing you are in this world.” -M.P.

Every time we open the mail, requests for books are peppered with thank you notes from readers inside who have received books from us. Oftentimes, they also include art or poetry to show their gratitude. We know this work matters!

As an all volunteer project, the less time we have to spend fundraising, the more time we have to send books. To that end, we are asking you to include us in your end of the year giving. All donations are appreciated! Whether it’s $10, $100, or $1000, it’ll help us continue to send books free of charge to incarcerated people in New Jersey prisons!

We accept donations via Venmo and PayPal. (All links in bio.) We are not a 501(c)(3), so your donation will not be tax deductible. We cannot accept checks.

We are a small volunteer-powered abolition project with a big heart, that believes in the power of mutual aid, community, and working towards a better world for all of us.

Our deepest thanks for your continued support to make this work possible.

In Solidarity,
Books Behind Bars

11/08/2024

Books Behind Bars is kicking off our FIFTH annual Holiday Card Drive!!! 💌❄️💖

With your help, last year we sent just over 1000 cards to incarcerated people in New Jersey! We are always so thankful for your support.❤️

It’s time to break out the cards again! This will be our 5th year organizing this card drive! 🥹 (Can you believe it!?) And we’re looking forward to spreading more love and cheer with you.

The holiday season can be especially hard for our incarcerated friends. Sending cards is a way to share joy, hope and connection. It also shows prison staff that these folks have community on the outside that is watching and looking out for them. With each card, we will enclose information on how they can request free books from our program.

🌲HOW TO PARTICIPATE:🌲

•Get some cards! (Avoid the glittery ones.)
• Write something warm and uplifting. For example: “Dear friend, Thinking of you this holiday season and sending warm wishes. With care and in solidarity.”
• Sign as “[Your First Name] with Books Behind Bars”
• Don’t add any glitter, glue, tape, crayons, paint, or stickers. This may cause them to be rejected.
• Don’t seal the envelopes. We’ll be enclosing information with each card.
• Don’t write anything on the outside of the envelopes. We’ll take care of addressing.
• Please do stamp the envelopes, if you can. (Or donate stamps!)
• When you’re done, stack up the cards and envelopes and mail them in one packet to us at:

Books Behind Bars
PO BOX 2611
Wildwood, NJ 08260

💌We hope to receive all cards by Dec 10th! We will then enclose our program info in each card, and mail them out to incarcerated people at every prison in NJ!

🎁 You can also help by donating to our Venmo. See the QR code on slide 2 for the link.

🥰PLEASE SHARE!!!
We’d also love to see photos of you filling out your cards. Tag us and we’ll reshare in our stories!

Questions? Email:
[email protected]

❤️Thank you for participating in our fifth annual Holiday Card Drive! ❤️

11/07/2024

SPECIFIC REQUEST!

We have now received FIVE separate letters from incarcerated people in New Jersey requesting this book: “Houses Of Healing: A Prisoner’s Guid to Inner Power and Freedom” by Robin Casarijan.

It is part of a program being offered within the prison. Unfortunately, the prison does not have enough books for everyone that wants to participate. Your donation of these books would allow these individuals to participate and benefit from this program!

We have the book listed at the top of our Amazon Wishlist! See the QR code on slide two which will take you right to our wishlist.

Thanks so much for supporting our work for our incarcerated community members!

02/11/2024

We wanted to give a shoutout and say thanks to our friends at in Philly, who partnered up with us for a book drive in honor of Prison Banned Books Week. We received over $500 worth of books for incarcerated people, which was then matched by a generous donor! Thanks for teaming up with us to make this possible . 🖤

Sending free books to our incarcerated community members is a radical act of solidarity, mutual aid, and love. If you’d like to help, please consider donating funds for shipping. Links in bio. And if you are in the Philly area, stop by and visit our friends at the Wooden Shoe! ☺️

12/02/2023

Our fourth annual Holiday Card Drive is happening now!!! Read below for how to participate!👇🏼💌🌲❄️

With your help, last year we sent over 1000 cards to incarcerated people in New Jersey! We are always so thankful for your support.❤️

It’s time to break out the cards again! This will be our fourth year organizing this card drive! 🥹 We are ready to spread more love and cheer with you.

The holiday season can be especially hard for our incarcerated friends. Sending cards is a way to share joy, hope and connection. It also shows prison staff that these folks have community on the outside that is watching and looking out for them. With each card, we will enclose information on how they can request free books from our program.

🌲HOW TO PARTICIPATE:🌲

•Get some cards! (Important: please avoid the ones with loose glitter. Matte is best.)
• Write something warm and uplifting. For example: “Dear friend, Thinking of you this holiday season and sending warm wishes. With care and in solidarity.”
• Sign as “[Your First Name] with Books Behind Bars”
• Do NOT add any glitter, glue, tape, crayons, paint, or stickers. This may cause them to be rejected.
• Don’t seal the envelopes. We’ll be enclosing information with each card.
• Don’t write anything on the outside of the envelopes. We’ll take care of addressing.
• Please DO stamp the envelopes, if you can. (Or donate stamps!)
• When you’re done, stack up the cards and envelopes and mail them in one packet to us at:

Books Behind Bars
PO BOX 2611
Wildwood, NJ 08260

🎁 We hope to receive all cards by Dec 15th! (We’ll send out all cards sent in to us.) We will then enclose our program info in each card, and mail them out to incarcerated people at every prison in NJ!

☃️ PLEASE SHARE!!!
We’d also love to see photos of you filling out your cards.
Tag us and we’ll reshare in our stories!

Questions? Email:
[email protected]

❤️Thank you for participating in our 4th annual Holiday Card Drive! ❤️

Books Behind Bars

03/31/2026

11/03/2025

04/28/2025

03/29/2025

12/02/2024

11/16/2024

11/11/2024

11/08/2024

11/07/2024

02/11/2024

12/02/2023

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