Beards for Books is more than just a fundraiser. It is a way to celebrate reading, learning, and books with culturally relevant characters and experiences. Eastern North Carolina and other locations with similar demographics are experiencing a widening in the Achievement gap due to the Pandemic and other social issues. One concern that teachers and parents have is that even when scholars are able to gain access to books, many are characters that scholars cannot relate to. Our goal is to increase the number of culturally relevant books in school libraries, classrooms, and scholar homes and to provide free and low-cost literacy instruction to struggling readers in our local communities.

With the monies raised and books collected in this event, we will award up to 25 Micro Grants to Classroom teachers in North Carolina. We will also provide donated books to local libraries and afterschool programs.

Prizes → Rules →


In the state of North Carolina, the number of students reading on grade level ranges from 39% to 46%. That means that less than half of our scholars are reading on the same level as their peers. As educators and mentors, we have realized that a majority of this is exacerbated when free resources for readers diminish after grade 5. Middle School Scholars demonstrate an increased difficulty when relating to and engaging in the reading experience and it is our goal to make books available to these scholars especially.

By placing more engaging texts and relatable books into the hands of these scholars we hope to join forces with the local community and provide resources for teachers and leaders already doing the work. When scholars are exposed to books within their community, they not only have the opportunity to grow their vocabulary but also experience new places, people, and ideas.


Please consider ordering a calendar. This will help us purchase the right amount of calendars so we don't waste valuable funds on extra stock.

Calendar Order →