The Bookman --- "Providing Books To Anyone Who Wants To Read And Learn"

"The Bookman is a registered charity that donates new and used books to children and adults around the world who do not have easy access to reading material."

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Irwin Herman (aka the Bookman) in 2010 at his book warehouse in San Diego with my mom and her neighbor. I'm in awe as to what Mr. Herman has achieved in promoting reading and learning. He seems to be very passionate and devoted in promoting literacy and education through providing access to free books for those in need. Mr. Herman spent a large amount of time talking with us about how he started his charitable organization, showing us around the warehouse, and talking about the promotion of reading and learning.... According to the Bookman website, an estimated 8 million books have been given away for free.

Here's more information about The Bookman provided from their website:

The Bookman is a global charitable organization based in San Diego, California. A registered 501(c)3 charity, The Bookman supplies books free to teachers, institutions, and groups that ask, providing they can pick them up, or have another agency do that for them. However, The Bookman is not a bookstore and does not provide books to individuals or sell to the general public.

Operated with all volunteer labor, the organization now gives away almost one million new and used books per year, primarily to groups and agencies serving the underprivileged, to teachers, to our military veterans, families, and active-duty troops, and to other charitable groups. Since its creation in 1990, The Bookman has given away more than 8 million books to people in San Diego County and through local charities, to every state and 70 other countries. There are no restrictions on who can obtain free books - those who need them can have them, as long as they are part of a deserving group and, as long as they can arrange to pick them up from the warehouse. The Bookman does not select, pack, or ship books.

The Bookman operates out of 5,000 square feet of warehouse space at the corner of 37^th St. and El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego. Donated by the building owner, Jack Grace, the floor contains an estimated 150,000 volumes, with a daily turnover of 2-3,000 books. Row after row of shelves neatly filled with books of every description. Encyclopedia sets, classic literature, self-help, biography, fiction, non-fiction, and reference books. You name it and its there. More than one third of the usable space is devoted entirely to children's books.

 Hours of operation for the Bookman are Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 11:30am. The warehouse phone number is 619-521-9830.