Zora Bucks Program Gives Spartanburg Kids the Power to Choose—

and the Chance to See Themselves as Readers

The Hub City Writers Project is thrilled to announce its Zora Bucks initiative, a bold, neuroscience-backed literacy program that gives Spartanburg children the joy and agency of buying a book of their choice–using Zora Bucks currency. At the Hub City Bookshop, every Zora Buck is worth one book from our children’s section. These vouchers are distributed to young readers across Spartanburg County who may otherwise lack access to high-quality reading material at home. The result is more than just a free book: it’s a transformative experience that fosters dignity, choice, and a lifelong love of reading.

 

Support Zora Bucks

 

Literacy That Changes Lives

“For thirty years we’ve been focused on building book culture in Spartanburg and across the South,” says Executive Director Meg Reid. “We believe every child deserves to feel at home in a bookshop and to see themselves as a reader.”

Named for Hub City’s beloved bookshop cat, Zora Nelle, the program is designed not just to distribute books, but to do so in a way that affirms a child’s sense of belonging, autonomy, and self-worth.

Rather than a simple gift or handout, the Zora Bucks program operates as a real-world transaction. Kids walk into the bookstore, browse the children’s section, and “pay” with their own Zora Bucks–an experience that provides dignity, choice, and joy.

 

Backed by Research, Powered by Community

Scientific research supports what our hearts already know: giving kids agency in how they receive help dramatically improves their outcomes. Neuroscience studies show that perceived social value and participation–rather than pity or passive charity–can increase motivation, enhance neural development, and even lead to better long-term health outcomes.

Children who are not reading proficiently by third grade are up to three times more likely to experience poor health outcomes later in life. Zora Bucks meets that challenge head-on—offering early, joyful, self-directed reading experiences that can alter a child’s trajectory.

 

A Wide-Reaching Impact

Zora Bucks are currently distributed through a growing list of community partners, including:

• Title I schools

• Libraries and mentorship programs

• Domestic violence shelters

• Public housing and transitional housing organizations

• Refugee and immigrant support groups

• Foster care networks

• Community health clinics and pediatric offices

• Food pantries and mutual aid organizations

• Early Head Start and homeschool programs

Organizations interested in participating can email Julie Jones at juliepjones@hubcity.org for more information.

 

How You Can Help

Every $25 donation becomes a Zora Buck—and puts a book directly into a child’s hands.

Give today and help build a lifetime of literacy, self-worth, and opportunity for Spartanburg’s kids.

 

This program was inspired by the incredible Golden Ticket initiative from Brain Food Books in Salt Lake City. Their visionary work helped shape our commitment to joy-filled, choice-driven literacy experiences.

 

Funded in part by Milliken & Company.

 

Zora Bucks design and illustration: Julie Jarema