We bring free books and one-on-one reading mentors to children in under-resourced fishing towns and island communities across Maine — so a kid's zip code never decides whether they learn to read.
Our Mission
Harbor Light Literacy puts free, kid-chosen books into the hands of children in Maine's working waterfront communities, then pairs them with trained volunteer mentors who read alongside them every week. We meet families where they are — in harbor towns, on the islands, and far from the nearest bookstore — to close the early-reading gap before it ever opens.
What We Do
Free home libraries delivered right to a child's door — a starter shelf of brand-new, kid-chosen books that arrives by mail and grows every season.
Trained volunteer reading mentors meet one-on-one with a child every week, in person or by video, to read together and build confidence and fluency.
A free summer literacy camp that pairs books and read-alouds with working-harbor boat trips, keeping kids reading all summer long.
Where We Work
Our book room and offices sit on Commercial Street, steps from the ferry terminal and the fishing piers. We serve children across Casco Bay and Maine's mid-coast — from Portland's peninsula neighborhoods to the Casco Bay islands and downeast harbor towns — partnering with Title I schools, public libraries, and island ferry routes to reach the kids who need us most.
Harbor Light Literacy