Does Read to Me Program of New Mexico accept book donations?

Yes. Per program staff (current as of May 2026, confirmed in a direct conversation): all the books Read to Me distributes are donated. The program partners with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (through its Albuquerque-area Affiliate, the nonprofit Libros for Kids) to source much of the new-book material that reaches families. Donors with children's books should reach out directly to Read to Me to coordinate; for large quantities or mixed-condition stock or in-home pickup, NMLP free pickup is also available as a parallel ABQ-metro option.

How does Read to Me Program of New Mexico work?

Read to Me Program of NM is a children's literacy program serving Albuquerque-area families. They get children's books into kids' hands and support early reading. Per program staff, they operate primarily on donated books — and they partner with both the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (through the local Affiliate Libros for Kids) and with Libros for Kids directly to bring brand-new monthly mailed books to enrolled kids 0–5 in the Bernalillo County area. The program model is donor-and-partner-funded book distribution rather than retail-thrift operations or library-collection circulation.

Who is Libros for Kids?

Libros for Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Albuquerque-area nonprofit dedicated to improving reading readiness for all children in the greater Albuquerque area. They are the local Affiliate for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library — meaning Libros for Kids is the organization that funds and administers DPIL book mailings to enrolled Bernalillo County children ages 0–5. Books are mailed directly to enrolled children's homes monthly; some are bilingual (English-Spanish). More than 280,000 books were distributed to Bernalillo County children between 2018 and 2024. They are located at 2052 Calle Pajaro Azul NW, Albuquerque NM 87120, phone (505) 897-5025, website librosforkids.org. Read to Me Program of NM partners with Libros for Kids per program staff.

What's the difference between donating to Read to Me, Libros for Kids, and NMLP?

Different supply chains, all serving Albuquerque-area kids. (1) Read to Me Program of NM accepts donated children's books directly for their distribution program — contact them to coordinate. (2) Libros for Kids is the local DPIL Affiliate; they mail brand-new books monthly to enrolled kids 0–5; they're primarily funded by cash donations to fund the new-book purchases (the DPIL model is structurally new-book mail). (3) NMLP offers free in-home pickup metro-wide for any condition and any quantity of used books; useful children's books route to APS Title I schools, Little Free Libraries, family shelters with on-site kids' programs, and organizations serving refugee-resettled families. All three contribute to ABQ kids reading; the right channel depends on what you have and how much.

Can I get a tax-deductible receipt for donations to NMLP?

Not from NMLP — we're a for-profit business, not a 501(c)(3). For tax-deductible receipts: Read to Me Program of NM (if it's a 501(c)(3) — confirm with them at intake), Libros for Kids (confirmed 501(c)(3)), and the Friends of the Albuquerque Public Library at 501 Copper Ave NW (501(c)(3), Mon-Sat 10:30 AM-2:00 PM) are all legitimate options.

What if I have a HUGE quantity — a classroom library, a retired teacher's collection, or an estate?

That's exactly when NMLP free pickup makes sense. Direct-to-program drops have practical volume limits (usually a few bags or boxes per visit) because programs are sized for their own internal sorting capacity. NMLP can handle a full classroom library, a retired teacher's entire collection, or a multi-generation family library in one or more truckloads. We sort the books at the warehouse and route the useful kids' material to APS Title I, Little Free Libraries, family shelters, and refugee-resettlement orgs. Call or text 702-496-4214 with a rough description and zip code.

Donation-Friendly • Read to Me • Partners with Libros for Kids + DPIL

Read to Me Program of New Mexico — Donate Books in Albuquerque

Good news for ABQ donors: Read to Me Program of NM operates on donated books. Per program staff (May 2026): "All our books are donated. We work with Dolly Parton's foundation and with the nonprofit Libros for Kids." Three Albuquerque-area channels serve kids' literacy in complementary ways. This page is the honest map.

Call or Text NMLP: 702-496-4214 Schedule a Free NMLP Pickup

Quick answer: Yes, Read to Me Program of NM accepts donated children's books — and per program staff, all of their books come through donations and through their partnerships with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and the local Albuquerque nonprofit Libros for Kids. For large quantities, mixed-condition stock, or in-home pickup, NMLP also runs free in-home pickup metro-wide. Three complementary channels, all serving ABQ kids' literacy. Call or text NMLP at 702-496-4214 if pickup makes more sense for your situation.

An honest correction (May 2026)

An earlier version of this page incorrectly suggested that Read to Me Program of NM was "library-supplied" and didn't generally accept direct donations. After follow-up with Read to Me staff, the actual situation is the opposite: all their books are donated, and they partner with Dolly Parton's foundation and with Libros for Kids. The page below is the corrected version. We apologize for the earlier confusion — that's exactly the kind of misinformation this site should be eliminating about Albuquerque-area literacy programs, not creating.

What Read to Me Program of NM Actually Does

Read to Me Program of New Mexico is a children's literacy program serving Albuquerque-area families. Their work focuses on getting books into kids' hands and supporting early reading. They're a serious and longstanding part of the local literacy landscape.

Per program staff (confirmed in a direct conversation in May 2026), all of their books are donated. The program operates on a community-supported book supply rather than purchasing books at retail. Their partnership channels include the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (through its Albuquerque-area Affiliate, the nonprofit Libros for Kids) and direct work with Libros for Kids on the local literacy distribution side.

That partnership ecosystem is one of the most efficient structures a small literacy program can adopt: instead of trying to build its own bulk-book purchasing pipeline, Read to Me leverages relationships with established affiliates and the broader donor community to keep its program running. Donors with children's books to give are part of how the model works.

If you want to give books directly to Read to Me Program, reach out to them to coordinate. If you have a larger quantity, a mixed-condition collection, or you'd rather skip the drop-off run entirely, NMLP free pickup is also available metro-wide — see below for what NMLP does specifically for kids' books.

About Libros for Kids — Read to Me's Partner

Libros for Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Albuquerque-area nonprofit at 2052 Calle Pajaro Azul NW Albuquerque NM 87120, phone (505) 897-5025, web librosforkids.org. Their stated mission is to improve reading readiness for all children in the greater Albuquerque area.

Operationally, Libros for Kids is the local Affiliate for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library — they fund and administer the DPIL program for enrolled Bernalillo County children ages 0–5. Each enrolled child receives one new age-appropriate book mailed directly to their home, every month, from enrollment through age 5. Some of the titles are bilingual (English-Spanish), which is meaningful for many Albuquerque-area families.

The numbers are real: more than 280,000 books distributed to Bernalillo County children between 2018 and 2024. A child enrolled from birth through age 5 would have a personal home library of about 60 books before entering elementary school — a deeply meaningful base for early reading.

Libros for Kids also runs the annual New Mexico Children's Book Fair — the most recent was October 11, 2025. That event channels community attention and donor support into the program's ongoing operations.

Because the DPIL model is structured around mailing NEW books from a curated catalog (sourced through DPIL's national publisher partnerships), Libros for Kids' primary fundraising need is cash to fund the new-book purchases and the mailing infrastructure. Used-book donations don't fit directly into the DPIL mailing pipeline — but they do fit the partner program at the DPIL donor guide and they can support Read to Me's parallel distribution and the broader NMLP routing to APS Title I + LFLs + family shelters.

Three Complementary ABQ Children's-Literacy Channels

For donors trying to figure out which channel fits their situation:

1. Read to Me Program of New Mexico

Accepts donated children's books for the distribution program. Partners with Dolly Parton's foundation and with Libros for Kids. Reach out to them directly to coordinate a donation. Good fit if you have a moderate quantity of children's books and want them to enter a program that's been doing local children's-literacy work for years.

2. Libros for Kids (the local DPIL Affiliate)

The local Affiliate for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library — funds and administers monthly new-book mailings to Bernalillo County kids 0–5. Their direct funding need is cash (to fund the new-book purchases the DPIL model requires); they do welcome volunteer and event participation. Annual Book Fair is the highest-visibility donor moment. librosforkids.org / (505) 897-5025.

3. NMLP — free in-home pickup, any quantity, any condition

Free in-home pickup metro-wide. No volume limit, no condition standards, no thrift-style intake rejection. Useful children's books in good condition route to APS Title I schools that have requested specific grade-level material, to the metro's network of Little Free Libraries (see a recent LFL restock), to family shelters with on-site kids' programs, and to organizations serving refugee-resettled families. Bilingual and Spanish-language children's books have specific routing because demand is high. No tax deduction (NMLP is for-profit), but no friction either.

These three channels don't compete; they cover different donor situations and different parts of the supply chain. A donor with 10 boxes of mixed children's books might use NMLP for the bulk pickup; a donor with 2 clean bags of recent titles might drop them at Read to Me directly; a donor who wants to fund the new-book mailings might write a check to Libros for Kids.

How NMLP Routes Children's Books Specifically

When NMLP picks up children's books, the warehouse triage is different from the adult-book flow because the destinations are different:

APS Title I schools. Schools serving high-poverty populations have specific grade-level needs, and librarians actively ask for what they need. Picture books for K–2 are perpetually short. Early-reader chapter books (Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) are gold for 3rd-grade reading-incentive programs.
Little Free Library restocking. The metro has dozens of registered Little Free Libraries (plus many unregistered ones). They run dry constantly. NMLP runs an active restocking route — children's books are the highest-turnover category at most LFLs.
Family shelters and children's services. Books in good condition with bilingual or Spanish-language content go to shelter children's programs and to families served by refugee-resettlement orgs.
Pediatric clinic waiting rooms. Some local pediatric offices keep a small lending shelf of children's books in the waiting area — NMLP supplies replenishment when requested.
Recycling for the rest. Books too damaged for any of those routes (water damage, mold, structural failure) enter paper recycling. They don't get landfilled by default.

When to Use Which Channel

You have a moderate batch of clean current children's books and want them to enter a longstanding ABQ children's-literacy program: Reach out to Read to Me Program of NM to coordinate a donation. Per program staff, this fits how their model works.
You have a whole bookshelf, a classroom library, an estate, or just don't want to drive anywhere: NMLP free pickup. Any quantity, in-home, no thrift-style condition rejection, no tax deduction but no friction either.
You have curriculum-matched material for a specific grade level and a specific school in mind: Call that school's librarian directly. They'll tell you yes or no within a week.
You want to support Read to Me Program specifically with cash: The Read to Me program leadership can direct you to the best channel for cash support.
You want to fund new books reaching Bernalillo County kids 0–5 monthly: Donate cash to Libros for Kids at librosforkids.org. This funds the DPIL mailings the program runs.
You have a child 0–5 in Bernalillo County and want them to receive a new book monthly: Enroll the child with Libros for Kids — it's free for eligible families.

FAQ

Is Read to Me Program of New Mexico legitimate?

Yes, completely. They're a real children's literacy program doing real work serving Albuquerque-area kids. Per program staff (May 2026), all their books are donated and they partner with Dolly Parton's foundation and with Libros for Kids.

Why does NMLP have a page about Read to Me?

Two reasons. First, ABQ donors searching to give books to Read to Me Program deserve an honest map of the partnership landscape (Dolly Parton's Imagination Library + Libros for Kids + Read to Me, all connected). Second, donors with more books than a single-channel direct drop can absorb deserve to know NMLP exists as a parallel route — free pickup, no volume limit, hand-sorted local routing.

What about adult books? I have those too.

NMLP takes those too. Same pickup, same truck. See the free book pickup hub — one call handles everything.

Tax deduction?

Not from NMLP — we're for-profit. Libros for Kids is a 501(c)(3); the Friends of the Albuquerque Public Library is a 501(c)(3); confirm with Read to Me Program staff at intake whether they can issue receipts for in-kind book donations.

Can you pick up Spanish-language kids' books specifically?

Yes — bilingual and Spanish-language children's books have specific dedicated routing through NMLP because demand is high at family-shelter children's programs and at refugee-resettlement orgs. If you have a Spanish or bilingual children's collection, mention that when you call.

Related guides

Three Channels. All Serving ABQ Kids.

Read to Me Program accepts donations and partners with Libros for Kids and DPIL. NMLP picks up free anywhere in the metro for the larger or messier loads. Use whichever channel fits what you have. The books reach the kids either way.

Call or Text 702-496-4214

Josh Eldred — NMLP — Free children's book pickup across the Albuquerque metro.