The Welman Project has expanded book access in Fort Worth with Pages for the People, a free community bookshop where residents can take donated books home, contribute gently used titles and support a literacy-focused sharing program.
The Welman Project, a Fort Worth nonprofit that provides free classroom supplies and other resources to educators, has expanded its community programs with a free bookshop designed to make books more accessible to local residents.
Pages for the People operates inside the nonprofit’s Near Southside location. Visitors can take books home at no charge, while community members can donate gently used titles to help replenish the collection.
Fort Worth book access expands beyond classrooms
The shop carries children’s books, craft titles, romance novels, Spanish-language books and other genres for readers of different ages and interests.
Elizabeth Dragga, The Welman Project’s book access program manager, said the initiative grew from the volume of books donated to the organization. The nonprofit determined that the collection could support not only teachers but also families and individual readers throughout Fort Worth.
Dragga previously founded and led The Book Truck, a Los Angeles-based teen literacy nonprofit that worked in communities with limited access to books. She later returned to Texas, bringing the Book Truck vehicle and its literacy-focused approach with her.
Free books aim to support family literacy
Pages for the People is intended to make it easier for residents to build home libraries without the financial barrier of purchasing books.
The program also fits The Welman Project’s broader reuse mission. The organization redirects donated materials that might otherwise be discarded and places them in classrooms and communities where they can continue to be used.
Donations and volunteer opportunities
Pages for the People is open during The Welman Project’s regular business hours.
Visitors may bring up to one box of gently used books when visiting the shop. Larger donations can be coordinated by appointment.
The nonprofit is also seeking volunteers to help operate the bookshop. By combining free book access, donations and volunteer participation, Pages for the People is creating a community-supported system for circulating books among Fort Worth readers.
