The Bright Red Bookshelf Program recirculates gently used children’s books back into the community where they are made available free for families to own.  Books are collected in red crates at several churches and other community locations through book drives organized by volunteers of St. Catherine’s.  These books are then sorted, cleaned and affixed with a label, and then set out on bright red bookshelves at sites where low-income families will have easy access to them.

The concept emerged in the fall of 1997 by the Family Reading Partnership in Ithaca N.Y.  Bookshelves and collection crates are painted a bright red to capture attention.  Volunteers from St. Mary’s Church, Rochester began a Bright Red Bookshelf Program in June of 2007 and then the program moved to St. Catherine of Siena Church in Mendon in the summer of 2016.   Currently there are eight host organizations with Bright Red Bookshelves and as of December 2016 over 51,000 books have found new homes.

This ministry provides gently used children's books to Rochester city children. Volunteers are needed to clean, sort, label books, and to restock shelves as needed. There are no meetings. Volunteer as your schedule permits.