About

OUR STORY: To promote literacy, by moving books from the shelves of the ex-user, into the hands of the end-user. Books in Hand is new and still evolving.

THE FOUNDER: Donna Holsten began reading at age three and grew up with books in her hands constantly — usually two or three different books in progress at any time. She works as a hospice nurse, has been involved in dog rescue for years, and enjoys counted cross-stitch, tile-mosaic work, and yard landscaping.

THE ORGANIZATION: We keep books out of landfills and distribute them while supporting literacy initiatives, currently operating in west Contra Costa and north Alameda counties. Every book is sorted individually. All profit we generate goes to schools, teachers, or other literacy organizations. Future plans include a forum for schools and literacy organizations, and a brick-and-mortar location.

THE HISTORY: About 15 years ago, Donna sold vintage books on eBay. In 2025, she found unsold boxes and relaunched the effort — which grew into Books in Hand as a nonprofit, to address the challenges of scaling up.