News & Media

Thank You To Our Inaugural Giving Tree Society Members Bernie’s Book Bank is thrilled to share that our Giving Tree has officially received its first set of leaves! We are honored to recognize the inaugural members of the Giving Tree Society, whose commitment and...

This National Volunteer Month, we’re celebrating the incredible volunteers who help turn our mission into a reality every single day. Last year, 17,700 dedicated volunteers provided 46,801 hours of service at our Chicagoland facility. Because of their time, energy,...

Bernie’s Book Bank was recently featured on CBS 58’s Natalie’s Everyday Heroes. The segment provided a behind-the-scenes look at the Lake Bluff facility and included interviews with Greater Milwaukee Executive Director Jenna Renno and Founder Brian Floriani. Floriani...

Double Your Impact, Thanks to an Inaugural Matching Gift Made in Honor of Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. We are pleased and encouraged by the momentum continuing to build for our expansion efforts in Greater Milwaukee and are so grateful to all who have gotten engaged. The...

As a part of national expansion plans, Bernie’s Book Bank recently announced the appointment of Jenna Renno as Executive Director of Bernie’s Book Bank Greater Milwaukee. This is a big step forward for Bernie’s Book Bank as it looks to build upon its success in...

On Monday, September 30th, Bernie’s Book Bank distributed its 10 millionth Chicago Public Schools book since 2009. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, Founder Brian Floriani, Principal Dunson, and Alderman Debra Silverstein spoke about the importance of early literacy and the...

Audra, a Barrington local, has always had a passion for book ownership and reading. As an elementary school teacher, she prioritized reading in her classrooms by making it a fun event and always having a wide variety of books included in her extensive library. Audra...

The beauty of a book lies not only within its pages but in its ability to bring people together. There’s no better example of that than local 8th grader Ryleigh. Ryleigh was searching for a project for the NJHS at St. Raphael School when she came across Bernie’s Book...

We are proud to share that in February, we distributed an organization-record 345,765 books! In case you were wondering, the previous record (345,218) was set back in March of 2018. Creating a future where every child has equal access to books is not something we can...

Join us and our friends on Friday, 2/9 between 10 am-2 pm for a one-stop donation drop-off. The drive will be in the Toyota Prius Lot at 111 W. Waveland, corner of Waveland & Clifton, near Wrigley Field. Please consider bringing your gently used children's books,...

Meet Riley!  Riley is passionate about reading, enjoys sharing her love for books on instagram, and actively supports Bernie’s Book Bank. Her love for reading developed at a young age, and over the years, books have become much more than stories for her. Recently, she...

Bernie’s Book Bank Executive Kristen Daniels sits down with Therese Van Ryne about national expansion, local impact, and how you can support our mission. Watch her full interview on Zebra Technologies’ Your Edge podcast below!

Bernie's Bank collaborated with the Chicago Police Department to provide 500 Spanish/bilingual books to refugee children temporarily residing in police stations and shelters. Officer Jesus Magollan led the initiative, driven by a desire to assist these children whom...

On Friday, November 10th Bernie’s Book Bank distributed its 25 Millionth free book since 2009. Smiling children from Glen Flora Elementary School in Waukegan, IL greeted the Bernie’s Book Bank team as they personally distributed the books. Glen Flora Elementary...

Combating the Literacy Crisis Bernie’s Book Bank is receiving the 2023 Dyer Pearl Literacy Award, which recognizes local organizations that combat the literacy crisis in the United States. Bernie’s Book Bank founder Brian Floriani will accept the award at the National...

Attention all coaches and athletic directors! The nomination form for the 2023 #65 Honor Roll is now open.  In conjunction with the Patrick Mannelly Award, and in honor of the number he wore as a member of the Chicago Bears, the #65 Honor Roll has been created. The 65...

It’s book drive season! Empower Chicagoland children through book ownership by hosting a book drive. Book drives are a fun and easy way to make an impact in your community. In addition to making an impact on book ownership among Chicagoland children, book drives are...

Learn more about the damage to our facility and how we're working to get back to normal operations as quickly as possible. Thank you for all of your quick and thoughtful support through this issue![video width="1280" height="720"...

The 2023 Birdies & Books Charity Golf Classic, presented by Reed Construction, was as memorable as ever. The morning sun illuminated Shoreacres’ freshly cut grass and deep ravines as players gathered for the shotgun start. It proved to be a perfect day of golf in...

April 24, 2023 (LAKE BLUFF, Ill.)  – Today, Bernie’s Book Bank announced it has appointed Kristen Daniels as Executive Director, a new role to the organization who creates pathways to success through free, quality books for children. CEO Darrin Utynek and Founder...

I'm going to read them all" Grade schoolers get excited about book donation during Bernie's Book Bank's crosstown charity walk. The volunteers were midway through their 20-mile “Walk As One Chicago” fundraiser, marching from Guaranteed Rate Field to Wrigley Field and...

The first-ever BookaPalooza was a huge success! Spawning from last year's Storybook Festival, Bernie’s Book Bank wanted to bring a similar event directly to the communities served. The event took place on the south side of Chicago in Cornell Sq. Park on Saturday, July...

On October 13th Bernie's Book Bank reached a major milestone, the distribution of our 20 MILLIONTH free book since 2009! To celebrate this achievement Darrin Utynek, CEO of Bernie's Book Bank, led an assembly-style book delivery event at St. Ann School in partnership...

Storefront StoryWalk A family-friendly outdoor reading event in select communities. Bernie’s Book Bank was proud to partner with select communities to present StoreFront StoryWalks. StoryWalk® was an innovative and delightful way for children — and adults! — to enjoy...

2020 was a year like no other. Despite pandemic challenges, Bernie's Book Bank remained laser focused on providing free quality books for under-served children. Our 2020 Impact Report shares the highlights of the innovative ways we collected books, distributed books,...

Bernie's Book Bank is proud to host its first ever virtual Pop-Up Shop! For the month of March only the entire line of Bernie's Book Bank hoodies are on sale. Choose from four styles (see gallery below for more pictures): RE*D Chicago Flag Blue Hoodie Gray Slouch Neck...