Thursday, October 1, 2026
After years of operating out of borrowed spaces and relying on a growing network of volunteers, Hindi’s Libraries has found a place to call its own.
The nonprofit organization, founded in late 2018 following the death of beloved Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway teacher Hindi Krinsky, recently relocated from Cedarhurst to a new headquarters at 15 Ives Road in Hewlett. The move marks a significant milestone for the volunteer-run organization, which has distributed nearly 750,000 books to children and families around the world.
“We really wanted a space to call our own, something that feels more like home and gives us room to grow,” Leslie Gang, co-founder of Hindi’s Libraries wrote in an email. “We needed a place with ample space not only to collect and store books, but also to welcome volunteers, host community groups and hold events.”
The new location is only a few blocks from its previous Cedarhurst site, but the expanded space will allow the organization to better serve its mission of providing free new and gently used children’s books to communities in need.
Hindi’s Libraries was established to honor Krinsky’s memory and continue her passion for literacy and education. Since its inception, the organization has collected, sorted and shipped books to schools, libraries, shelters and community organizations across the United States and throughout the world.
The growth has surpassed anything its founders imagined.
“It’s honestly unbelievable,” Gang wrote. “One moment I’m sitting in Dovid’s [Kanarfogel] kitchen with a piece of paper, sketching out a little library box, and the next we’re approaching 750,000 books distributed and have partnered with more than 1,500 organizations worldwide.”
The organization’s success has been driven largely by support from the Five Towns community. Thousands of volunteers, many of them local students, have spent countless hours collecting books, organizing donations and preparing shipments.
This time of year, however, presents unique challenges.
“Our largest volunteer group consists of high school students, and many of them are focused on finals, graduation and preparing for college,” Gang wrote.
To help maintain momentum, Hindi’s Libraries has expanded partnerships with local Girl Scout troops and community groups. The organization currently has 10 book drives taking place across New York and in other states, helping donors connect with recipients in their own communities.
Despite its international reach, one fact about Hindi’s Libraries often surprises people.
“We are still 100 percent volunteer-run and have no employees whatsoever,” Gang wrote. “Every dollar we raise through fundraising and donations goes directly toward shipping books and storing inventory.”
That commitment has allowed the organization to maximize the impact of community donations while remaining true to its grassroots origins.
For Krinsky’s husband, Dovid Kanarfogel, the nonprofit continues to fulfill its original purpose: ensuring children have access to books regardless of financial circumstances. Books collected through Hindi’s Libraries are shipped around the globe to support literacy initiatives and provide reading materials to communities that otherwise might not have access to them.
Gang said the organization plans to host a grand opening celebration later this summer once the school year concludes and volunteers have more availability.
“What inspires me most is seeing how much can happen when people come together around a simple idea,” she wrote. “Every book that gets donated, sorted, packed and shipped represents someone taking the time to help another person.”
