Frequently Asked Questions

If your question is not answered, please contact us at info@kateskart.org. We are more than happy to answer any question you have about who we are, what we do and how you can help.

  • The first step to becoming a Kate's Kart volunteer is to complete our volunteer application. Once your application is received, we will schedule a time to meet with you to discuss finding the right fit for you without our organization.

    We currently have a pool of applicants waiting to become a volunteer with Kate's Kart.  Submitting a volunteer application puts you in our pool of candidates.

    Please visit our Volunteer Introduction page for more information.

  • No. Due to health regulations and corporate policy, we cannot distribute items from other groups, organizations or individuals (such as homemade bookmarks, pamphlets, get well cards, etc.). We encourage you to contact the hospital directly with your request.

  • Unfortunately, we cannot accept donations of used books; however, we can provide you with the names of several organizations who gladly accept used books that fit into their mission and purpose.

     

     

  • Kate's Kart strives to keep our karts stocked with current, popular books in BRAND NEW CONDITION. Please use the following guidelines when selecting books to purchase:

    • Books must be BRAND NEW and recently published books.
    • Books should be popular, current titles.
    • Interactive books are the most popular.  These include:  lift the flap, musical, touch and feel, Busy Books and books that come with a toy.
    • Small books from dollar stores do not provide enough material to distract the child.   We would much prefer 1 interactive well known book over 10 small dollar store books.
    • Ask your children what books they would enjoy reading if they were in the hospital.
    • Check out our Wish List for our most needed books. This will insure your donation will "fly" off the karts with excitement as opposed to sitting on our karts or in storage.

  • Kate's Kart takes pride in providing popular, high-quality books as gifts to help lift the spirits of hurting children. We have lots of people ask us why donated books MUST be brand new.

    There are three main reasons:

    1. While preventing contamination completely is impossible, new books are far less likely to contain the very germs that we are trying to keep out of the hospitals.
    2. For some children, the books they receive from Kate's Kart are the only books they own. The gift of a brand new book reinforces to the child that he or she is special and deserving of a gift that no other child has owned.
    3. With over 100 volunteers, and 20 hospitals, maintaining the same high-quality standards at each location requires some level of quality control. By requesting only new books, we can be assured that our minimum level of quality is being met.

  • We value every donation; however, cash donations are the most beneficial and most needed. With your cash donation, we are able to purchase the most popular books that hospitalized kids are requesting. Plus, we have access to many discounts at retailers and wholesalers that will allow your donation to go much farther than it would if you were to buy books yourself. There are many ways to creatively collect cash donations in a school or other group setting. We would be happy to assist you with ways to bring in cash. Check out our Fundraising Page for a few ideas.

  • Volunteers must be 18 years old or older to volunteer.

  • Unfortunately, due to our regular volunteers who work in our office, we are unable to accommodate large groups.  We encourage you to utilize your group to coordinate a book or fund drive within your workplace or school.