At the age of six, Blake Ansari decided to help end poverty by donating a Blake Mini Library to homeless shelters and food banks. Young children are invited to participate in youth philanthropy by joining Blake’s efforts to bring the joy of reading to homeless children. Help to fill the rainbow-colored shelves of the Blake Mini Library at Hamilton Families in San Francisco by donating your new and recently new books (no cloth books, please) to children from birth to age 21.

Blake Mini Library supports the reading, writing and science literacy of children ages birth to 21 living in homes for runaways, homeless shelters and foster care. After New York City, San Francisco has the second highest rate of homeless children in the nation.

Valentine’s Day 2016 Blake Mini Library Book Drive

In 2016, Hamilton Family Center, San Francisco and Riverside Church Food Pantry, New York City were recipients of a Blake Mini Library.

Valentine’s Day 2017 Blake Mini Library Book Drive

In 2017, the students at Rooftop School take the Mannequin Challenge and invite their friends to join their efforts on behalf of Blake Mini Library at Hamilton Families.

Valentine’s Day 2018 Blake Mini Library Book Drive

The students at Rooftop School invite their friends to join their efforts to share their love of reading and books. This year, the Blake Mini Library at Hamilton Families celebrates the centennial of women’s suffrage with the donation of a special collection of children’s books that share the important stories of #monumentalwomen.

Valentine’s Day 2019 Blake Mini Library Book Drive

The fourth annual Blake Mini Library book drive for the Hamilton Family Shelter Program received the invaluable support of the student councils at Dianne Feinstein Elementary School and Rooftop Alternative Pre-K-8 School. Thanks to our many kind friends and neighbors who donated books, and our deepest appreciation to children’s book author/illustrator Ashley Wolff, who surprised Blake Mini Library with a very special gift — a brand new logo!

2020 Blake Mini Library Book Drive

In 2020, please share your compassion and creativity, in celebration of our 5th annual Blake Mini Library Book Drive! The theme for this year’s book drive is “Breaking Barriers”!

2021 Blake Mini Library Book Drive

In 2021, a global pandemic creates a few changes for how we conduct our annual Blake Mini Library Book Drive, but the goal remains the same – connecting to our best selves, as we encourage a love of reading for all children. With the generous support of the ArtsEd4All community, we filled a need for Spanish Language children’s books for the young readers at Hamilton Family’s shelter and transitional housing.

2022 Blake Mini Library Book Drive

In 2022, we kick off the 7th Annual Blake Mini Library Book Drive with a special online film screening of OBAMA: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union. Students of The New 3Rs, including Blake Mini Library founder Blake Ansari, participate by viewing the film as they create A More Perfect Union Anthology that will be sent to Congressional Black Caucus and President Biden in late spring. We go out and make some good things happen, when we all vote.