Retired Teacher Brings Books to Kids Through Mobile Library

Bobbi Donovan's Sunshine Family Bookmobile makes weekly stops to provide reading resources to underserved Sacramento neighborhood.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Bobbi Donovan, a retired schoolteacher from California, has launched the Sunshine Family Bookmobile to ensure local students have access to books. The mobile library makes weekly stops in a Sacramento neighborhood where the closest library is nearly 4 miles away, allowing children like 8-year-old Trey Jenkins to regularly check out new books and develop a love of reading.

Why it matters

The Sunshine Family Bookmobile is helping to address the lack of convenient access to reading resources in this underserved Sacramento community, where Donovan and other retired educators are working to improve literacy and educational outcomes for local children.

The details

Donovan co-founded the Sunshine Family Outreach Center with her sister, recognizing the need for more reading resources in the neighborhood. The bookmobile and books were donated, and the program is entirely volunteer-run by retired teachers and librarians who provide books and guidance to help the children succeed in school.

  • The Sunshine Family Bookmobile makes weekly stops in the Sacramento neighborhood.

The players

Bobbi Donovan

A retired schoolteacher from California who co-founded the Sunshine Family Outreach Center and launched the Sunshine Family Bookmobile to bring books and reading resources to children in an underserved Sacramento neighborhood.

Trey Jenkins

An 8-year-old boy who regularly checks out new books from the Sunshine Family Bookmobile and has developed a love of reading.

Meschelle White

The grandmother of Trey Jenkins, who discovered the Sunshine Family Bookmobile and has seen her grandsons' reading scores improve and their love of reading grow through the program.

Bri Bradford

A parent in the Sacramento neighborhood who loves reading and is glad to share that passion with her daughters through the Sunshine Family Bookmobile.

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What they’re saying

“I love reading. I like reading the books. I love the pictures; I love books because there's a world of imagination.”

— Trey Jenkins (wesh.com)

“A lot of the books that we get, the characters continue, so it's a series. They're always eager to see how it's going to play out. It's just been a great program.”

— Meschelle White, Grandmother of Trey Jenkins (wesh.com)

“It's a community here. Everybody here, we know each other. We talk to each other. I love reading myself, but it's just nice to share the same passion with my daughters.”

— Bri Bradford, Parent (wesh.com)

“I feel like what I'm doing is having an impact on this community, and they're so appreciative. We've all worked together to make sure the kids are doing well in school.”

— Bobbi Donovan, Founder, Sunshine Family Outreach Center (wesh.com)

What’s next

The Sunshine Family Bookmobile plans to continue making weekly stops in the Sacramento neighborhood, providing more children with access to books and resources to support their reading development.

The takeaway

The Sunshine Family Bookmobile is a grassroots effort led by a retired teacher to bring the joy of reading and essential educational resources to an underserved community, demonstrating the power of community-driven initiatives to address local needs and make a meaningful impact on children's lives.