Since 2021, every dollar donated to the CAAC AAPI Book Drive has bought new books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors for school libraries in Cambridge and Somerville. Here is what our community has made possible, year by year.
$37,000+
raised over five drives
2,600+
books donated to schools
5
drives since 2021
Year by year
| School year | Drive | Raised | Books donated | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 1st | $12,374 | 955 | Delivered to 33 schools in Cambridge and Somerville. |
| 2022–23 | 2nd | $5,538.62 | about 370 | 270 books to 17 Cambridge schools ($4,341.66) and about 100 books to Somerville schools ($1,241.31) through the Somerville Asian Family Network. 44 individual donors. |
| 2023–24 | 3rd | $8,419.94 | 702 | Includes 100 copies of Kelly Yang’s Finally Heard and an author talk for all 4th and 5th graders in Cambridge Public Schools. 68 individual donors and 5 sponsors. |
| 2024–25 | 4th | $5,409.17 | about 340 | Donated to Cambridge Public Schools. 31 individual donors. |
| 2025–26 | 5th | $5,375.64 | about 250 | Celebrated with Cambridge Public Schools at the Baldwin School on May 7, 2026. 25 individual donors. |
| Total | $37,117 | about 2,600 |
Book counts are books delivered to schools (some figures are approximate). Raised amounts are donations received for each drive. All figures come from our published fundraising records and book drive reports.
Thank you
Our heartfelt thanks to the individual donors and the sponsors who made each drive possible, including MIT, Splice Realty – Park Hou Group, Sumiao Hunan Kitchen, UCA Community Foundation, Dr. Hao Wang, Moderna ASPIRE, Pfizer and Global Asian Alliance, Google Cambridge, Sanofi, Zoe’s Chinese Restaurant, and Andrew Low of RE/MAX Destiny. No administrative fees are taken from donations, and costs such as bookplates are paid from CAAC’s operational fund rather than from the money raised.
Help the 6th drive
The 6th AAPI Book Drive kicked off in May 2026. Donate here, or read all book drive news and book lists.