Every comic we ship is headed to a child who may have a compromised immune system, a long recovery ahead, or simply no room in their day for one more risk. That's why safety isn't a footnote to what we do — it shapes every step, from the moment a donation arrives to the moment it reaches a hospital.

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Why this matters so much for our recipients

Children in hospitals and cancer centers are often more vulnerable to infection than the general public, and pediatric care settings pay close attention to what enters a child's room — right down to the toys and reading materials. That's why many children's hospitals require donated toys to be brand new, sealed, and unopened before they'll accept them at all.

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All comics and paper material shipped to hospitals are brand new.

Paper-based materials like books and comics behave differently than toys. Research in pediatric infection control has found that shared paper materials — books, magazines, and similar items — generally carry low levels of bacteria and are not considered a significant source of person-to-person infection transmission, unlike shared toys, especially soft or porous ones that are harder to clean. That said, "generally low-risk" isn't the same as new.

That is why every comic book and item we send to a hospital is brand new.

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Our process, step by step

1. Visual inspection on arrival. Every donated comic is checked for visible damage — mold, water staining, smoke odor, pest exposure, or significant wear — before it moves any further in our process.

2. Anything questionable is set aside. If a comic doesn't clearly pass inspection, it doesn't get sorted for distribution. We'd rather ship one fewer comic than one risky one.

3. Sorting by age and content. Comics are separated by age-appropriateness — teen titles kept apart from all-ages titles — as part of the same handling process.

4. Clean, organized storage. Comics awaiting distribution are stored in a manner intended to keep them dry, pest-free, and separated from anything that could contaminate them. We have an indoor climate controlled facility. 

5. One child, one comic. Unlike a shared toy box that circulates between many children, each comic we ship becomes that child's own to keep — which meaningfully reduces the shared-surface risk that concerns hospitals with toys in the first place.

6. Careful packing and shipping. Comics are packed to arrive in good condition and shipped in a way that keeps them protected until they reach the hospital. Ever comic book will be packed in a magazine bag and labeled accordingly.

7. Facility-specific requirements, respected. Some hospitals have additional intake requirements of their own — for new patients, for certain units, or for specific health precautions. For example, some units cannot accept books with staples. In all cases, we match the requirements with our inventory.

 

You're part of this chain too. When you donate, we ask that you:

• Only send comics in good, clean condition — no mold, water damage, smoke exposure, or pest exposure unless you discuss with us prior.

• Avoid donating if any of your household has an active, contagious illness.

• Pack comics securely so they arrive in the condition you sent them.

 

Learn more about what we can and cannot accept on our Donation Guidelines page.

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