Three years ago, our club launched Read Through Rotary to extend the spirit of our Elementary School Holiday Project, gifting a book to every student at Grant Elementary, into a year‑round literacy effort. This project installs sidewalk sharing libraries throughout San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Milpitas, giving families easy access to free books right in their neighborhood.

Our members build and paint each library by hand, brand them with our club name, and register them with the Little Free Library network so they can be found through their mobile app. We seed every installation with books for young readers, while volunteer stewards maintain the libraries day‑to‑day. Throughout the year, we restock books, make repairs, and support stewards as needed.

By sourcing raw materials and building locally, we can keep costs low—less than half the price of commercial kits—and avoid shipping fees entirely. With planter‑based and ground‑screw installation options, we can place libraries almost anywhere and complete up to two installations each month. We aim for at least eight new libraries a year and are always looking for the next great location.

- Lou Bash