SALT LAKE CITY — Brain Food Books (BFB) and Utah Food Bank are launching a new partnership that expands access and choice through books across southeastern Utah with the debut of the Mobile Book Pantry Program.
Permanent Book Pantries will open inside Utah Food Bank locations in Montezuma Creek, Monument Valley, and Blanding, creating year-round access to books for children, teens, and adults.
The program goes beyond placing books on shelves. The Book Nerd Mobile, Brain Food Books’ traveling community bookstore and outreach vehicle, will return throughout the year to replenish the Book Pantries, introduce new titles, host community book events, and connect readers with books they choose for themselves. Together, permanent Book Pantries and recurring Book Nerd Mobile visits create a sustainable model for expanding access and choice in rural communities.
“Food nourishes the body. Books nourish the mind. Communities deserve reliable access to both,” said Cal Crosby, Executive Director and Chief Vision & Strategy Officer of Brain Food Books. “We believe access and choice matter because reading changes lives, but only if books are available. Through our partnership with the Utah Food Bank, we’re building book access infrastructure, a network of trusted community partnerships, permanent book access points, and with the Book Nerd Mobile, working together to ensure every community has the opportunity, dignity, and freedom to choose what they read.”
The Mobile Book Pantry Program reflects the shared commitment of Brain Food Books and the Utah Food Bank to strengthen communities by removing barriers to opportunity. Families visiting a food pantry will also find books for every age, making it easier to nourish both body and mind.
Since 2022, Brain Food Books has distributed more than 85,000 books across Utah, partnering with schools, tribal communities, healthcare providers, recovery organizations, food banks, and community nonprofits to ensure books reach people where they are.
The southeastern Utah initiative represents a new model for rural book access, combining permanent community book collections with regular mobile programming to ensure books remain available long after launch day.
To support this work or learn more, visit brainfoodbooks.org
Follow the journey of the Book Nerd Mobile on Instagram and Facebook @bfb.booknerd
About Brain Food Books
Brain Food Books (BFB) is a Utah-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding access and choice through books.
BFB builds book access infrastructure, a network of community partnerships, permanent Book Pantries, the Book Nerd Mobile, and innovative programs that ensure readers of all ages have ongoing opportunities to discover, choose, and enjoy books. Working alongside schools, tribal communities, healthcare providers, food banks, and local organizations, BFB is helping create communities where books are as accessible as food, because every person deserves both nourishment for the body and nourishment for the mind.
For more information, visit brainfoodbooks.org.
