AFTER THE SALE…

Building community book by book

As with any sale, not all the items are sold. So our volunteers return the week after the sale, this time to select books suited to the needs of the clients and customers of 20+ groups and organizations.

Most of these groups are local, but we have provided books to other areas of Saskatchewan and even overseas. Not everyone on our community list can accommodate donations every year, but new groups take up the slack.

Our biggest donation for the last number of years has been to The Book Project, Saskatchewan Jails. We have provided more than 20,000 items and will continue as needed.

And that’s just the beginning. This is a list of the charities and other organizations we have donated materials to over the number of years. The list changes each year as the needs of the group change.

• Arcola Community School

• Balfour Collegiate Shirley Schneider Support Centre

• Carmichael Outreach

• Christian Salvage Mission

• Circle Project Children's Centre

• CJTR Community Radio

• Community Living

• Four Directions Primary Health Care

• Hope’s Home

• Isabel Johnson Shelter (YWCA)

• Kitchener Community School

• Log Cabin House Thrift Store

• Oxford House

• Prairie Bear Books for children & teens in 20 northern communities

Here is one example of how our volunteers continue to spread the joy of reading after the sale:

Sharon, one of our volunteers, was loading a couple of boxes of unsold books into her car to take to Humboldt, a community that she and her four children call home. Just as she finished, another volunteer drove up to return a load of books that an organization had declined because of lack of display space. Together, they transferred the lot to Sharon’s car and off she went. The books soon graced the shelves of Humboldt’s Good Neighbor Store. Volunteers there were very happy to receive them.

The Good Neighbor Store is a community store that sells donated items. One paid manager and approximately 160 volunteers sort, display and sell the items. Anything they can’t sell is donated to Value Village in Saskatoon. The profit is dispersed to service groups, organizations, hospitals and care homes in the area. In 25+ years of operation, the store has given back over $3,153,000.00. Check out their success story at https://www.discoverhumboldt.com/local/humboldt-good-neighbour-store-makes-numerous-donations.

The Big Book Sale requires tremendous effort from more than 160 volunteers, most of whom are seniors. When the last donation is out the door, the last table stowed, and the last cardboard box flattened, the volunteers are too exhausted to appreciate what they have accomplished. They just want a hot bath, to put up their feet, and relax with – you guessed it – a good book!

– BACK TO TOP –