If your kids have ever grabbed a free slice at Pizza Fridays, checked out a Gateway to Reading kit, or come home with a Read and Play bag from the library, here's a chance to give back — and have your donation count four times over.
The St. Louis County Library Foundation is holding a 24-Hour Giving Day on April 23, 2026, timed to National Library Week. According to the Foundation's announcement, every dollar donated that day will be matched four times — meaning a $25 gift becomes $125, and a $50 gift becomes $250.
You don't have to wait until April 23. Early giving is already open at charidy.com/SLCLFGIVES.
The funds support programs Chesterfield families likely already know. Gateway to Reading, which launched in 2025, offers research-based literacy workshops for caregivers and children, plus take-home kits to build reading skills between visits. Pizza Fridays provides free pizza to kids ages 0–18 at select branches on Fridays, through a partnership with Operation Food Search. Read and Play Kits round out the giving day's highlighted programs.
"The ability to read transforms individuals and communities," SLCL Director and CEO Kristen Sorth said when the library launched Gateway to Reading. "We hope that this program will have a significant impact on literacy in the region."
For Chesterfield residents, the giving day arrives while the neighborhood's own branch is temporarily out of reach. The Guy and Judy Jaffe Family Branch — named after the couple whose $1 million gift is funding a full rebuild at 16400 Burkhardt Pl. — has been closed for construction since January 31, 2026, with a reopening expected in early 2027. Patron holds are currently being redirected to the Thornhill Branch during construction.
The 24-hour giving window opens and closes on April 23. To give early or on the day, visit charidy.com/SLCLFGIVES.
