SM malls are multi-purpose community hubs. Aside from shopping, they support public services such as vaccination during the pandemic, National ID registration and even as typhoon shelter for stranded people and recyclable waste collection point.

But there are more to the malls’ functionality. SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, use the shopping centers as drop-off points for its book donation drive. For shoppers who support the campaign, dropping a pre-loved paperback into the bright blue bins at SM Supermalls help feed school libraries, community reading corners and public libraries across the country.

In 2025, the SM Book Nook in 88 malls nationwide received some 70,000 donated books since the drive started on 7 July. SM Cares held the ceremonial turnover of the donations to its campaign partner, the National Library, at the SM Mall of Asia on 27 November. The event was led by Ms. Sheree T. Sy, pioneer of Book Nook under SM Cares, and attended by representatives from public libraries and students.

A recognition ceremony also honored outstanding librarians and awarded malls that excelled in implementing the book donation drive.

The Book Nook initiative advances literacy, fosters learning and inspires a love for reading among Filipinos as the thousands of donated books go to partner libraries and barangay reading corners to replenish their collections. For many communities, the donated titles mean children’s story hours, classroom supplements and the small, steady growth of local reading culture.

Beyond books, SM malls have been partnering with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to make civic participation more accessible. For the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan cycle, select SM malls served as official satellite registration hubs — open on weekends and extending operating hours — so first-time voters and youth registrants could sign up without taking time off work or traveling to distant government offices.

SM Supermalls and Comelec have officially renewed their partnership for the 2026 Barangay and SK Elections. An initial 23 SM malls hosted voter registration with more branches soon serving as easier, safer and more convenient venues for Filipinos to register as voter.

The program is part of an expanded “Voter Registration Anywhere/Mall Voting” partnership between SM and Comelec. It helps lower practical barriers to registration: extended hours, central locations with security and a steady stream of potential registrants, and the mall’s capacity to host organized queues and information booths.

Taken together, SM’s dual role — as a distributor of donated books and as a venue for voter registration — shows how commercial spaces can be steered toward civic and educational outcomes.