PJ Library, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), is celebrating the delivery of its 50-millionth free book to Jewish families this summer.
What started out in 2005 as a small project in Western Massachusetts has now grown to affect millions of Jewish children worldwide. PJ Library books are translated into seven languages and delivered to over 680,000 kids each month across more than 35 countries.
PJ Library is a collaborative undertaking. In North America, the program is made possible through partnerships with nearly 200 communities to reach more than 240,000 children per month. Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City partners with the HGF to bring PJ Library to the Kansas City Jewish community.
“Kansas City was among the first to join the PJ Library initiative, and in the 12 years since it started, more than 3,000 of our local children have received Jewish books straight to their homes,” said Bridey Stangler, PJ Library & Event Associate at Federation. “We’re so proud to be a part of this growing international community and can’t wait to see where we go from here.”
PJ Library has experienced international growth; in 2009, the HGF launched Sifriyat Pijama in Israel through its sister organization Keren Grinspoon Israel, and since that time, the HGF has partnered with philanthropists around the world to open programs in Latin America, Europe, Russia, and the Pacific Rim.
PJ Library is funded by the HGF and donors, including philanthropists and foundations, Jewish communal organizations, and many individual donors who have found joy through PJ Library.
“We couldn’t have reached this amazing milestone without the help of our philanthropic partners,” said Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. “It is through a community effort that we are sharing millions upon millions of stories with the next Jewish generation, and we look forward to doing even more together in the years to come.”
