Our Book Nook was started by a lovely woman named Joy (who is a joy) to help the church with heating costs about ten years ago when fuel oil costs spiked. It sells donated books of all kinds, puzzles, DVDs, CDs, record albums, and VHS tapes for a $1 or less. (All Bibles are free.)
But the Book Nook has evolved into so much more. It's a gathering place to share a cup of coffee and baked goods, as well as fellowship, with people in our community. And a way to promote reading and literacy.
For instance we:
- Invite teachers to come and pick out 20 free books for their classrooms
- Give every child/student infant to college student one free book each time they visit
- Encourage college students to check us out for books they may need for literature classes
- Send books to service members serving overseas through our local VFW. (Sadly, we're discouraged from including romance books.)
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| My husband Mark and me at the Friendship Festival last year |
- Have provided books to a prison ministry
- Offer children's books free for the taking at our church's Evangelism Committee table at our community's annual Friendship Festival each August, along with cold water
- Make free books available at our elementary school's book sales for children who don't have money to buy new books at the sales. So, they don't feel left out.
While the Book Nook can be hard work, it's also very rewarding, and our core group of volunteers, along with some of our regular patrons, have all become good friends.
Who's next?
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