Categories: Things To Do

Donate your old books at this Calgary drive-up event at SouthCentre Mall

Photo Via Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock

If you’re in the process of spring cleaning right now and keep coming across books you no longer need, you can part with them in a way that actually helps someone.

The popular Stuff-a-Truck book drive is coming back to Calgary this spring at SouthCentre Mall in support of the Calgary Reads Big Book Sale.

How the book drop works

The SouthCentre Mall location is part of a larger citywide effort taking place across Calgary from April 24 to May 3, 2026.

If you’re looking to donate, you can drive to the East parking lot near Fish Creek Library and follow the signage for the Stuff-a-Truck drop-off area.

There will be volunteers on site who will meet you at your car, so you can stay in your vehicle while they take the books directly from your trunk.

There are also a few other drop-off locations across the city as part of the same initiative, including the Melcor YMCA in Crowfoot, Rundle College, the Calgary Curling Club, and the YMCA in Seton. Each location has set times, making it easy to choose whichever stop fits best into your schedule.

What you can donate

You can donate a wide range of gently used items, including fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, cookbooks, audiobooks, and DVDs.

According to the organizers, they especially look for newer releases and bestsellers. Still, books in good condition across a variety of categories are welcome, including books in other languages and select collectible books.

A few items cannot be donated, including dictionaries, religious texts, Reader’s Digest, certain romance series, magazines, library discards, and CDs. If you’re unsure about an older collection, it’s best to check ahead before dropping them off.

Where your donated books go

All the books collected through the Stuff-a-Truck event go toward the Calgary Reads Big Book Sale, one of the organization’s biggest fundraising events of the year.

Once you donate your books, they are then sorted and sold at the sale, with all the proceeds going back to early literacy programs across Calgary.

The funds support initiatives that get books into kids’ hands, encourage early reading, and ensure children have access to stories at home and in the classroom.

Honestly, this is such a simple but feel-good way to give your books a second life. Instead of sitting on shelves collecting dust, they end up helping kids across Calgary learn and grow.