Our Mission Statement

Every child deserves a book of their own.

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Watch our founder, Mackenzie Krestul, speak to elementary students at a Kickoff Assembly.

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How it Works

Code Read is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing new books to children in economically disadvantaged communities. Founded in 2016, Code Read is a response to the disparity between literacy levels in low-income communities and their more affluent counterparts. This gap is largely due to a lack of reading resources at home, a problem that Code Read hopes to solve. Our goal is to improve literacy levels and encourage enthusiasm for reading by giving kids books to call their own.

Code Read works largely with Title I schools in Southern California, as well as a number of programs for foster and unhoused youth. Through our school program, students earn a “Book Buck” from their teacher for good behavior or performance in the classroom. This Book Buck acts as a ticket into Code Read’s "Book Fair," where students may select any two books from a wide selection of grade levels and genres. Every student will come through the book fair, so goals are always easily attainable.

We also offer free book distributions for foster youth and housing insecure families in Los Angeles County.

Currently, we are only working with Title I schools and underserved youth in Los Angeles County. Our partner elementary schools are comprised of 600-900 students in K-8 grade, the majority of which qualify for free lunch, and their families live below the poverty level.