Good Books for Good Works collecting books to sell
Though the collection date doesn’t begin until Saturday, cars are already pulling up to St. James Episcopal Church with trunkloads of books for the upcoming Good Books for Good Works sale.
Book donations are coming in from the community and from friends in surrounding states who are thinning their personal libraries.
“We started planning this book sale about three months ago,” Judith Hoy, book sale committee chairperson, said. “Then we got really excited about the possibility of it being a community event with members of other churches donating books and coming to buy books at sale time. What started out to be a simple book sale is turning into a major event.”
Hoy has some 25 volunteers who are helping with the logistics of the sale, collecting books, making posters and sending out letters. She has teams of volunteers to man the book sale on designated days.
“We are just getting started, and already we can see that this is turning into a much bigger event than what we originally thought,” Hoy said. “Betty Tignor, one of our volunteers, is driving to Virginia Beach to visit with her sister and pick up books for the sale. A friend from Ireland is donating most of her library, and Father Scott (Oxford) and Don Talley are already thinning the church library. And I am adding about a dozen boxes of books from my personal library.”
“My sister has 25-30 grocery bags of hardback bestsellers that she is donating,” Tignor said. “I adore books, and donated over 1,500 of my own books when I moved to Black Mountain. This upcoming sale at St. James is a way to know that your books, your friends, are getting good homes with other readers. I am also bringing back lots of CDs that my sister is donating. We will have CDs for sale, from classical to mountain music to folk music.”
One donor has donated her collection of literary classics and poetry, and another has contributed her art and art history books. The late Connor Fay’s extensive library, ranging from religious to history, has been donated. Another donor has offered her collection of detective stories. There are lots of children’s books coming in.
“Evelyn Fay, Connor’s widow, is excited that the books will do good works in other people’s lives,” Hoy said. “I tell people that if you read it and loved it, someone else will feel the same way. Also, those books that you shelved saying that you were going to reread them would make really nice donations.”
The book sale is Sept. 24-27 at St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W. State St., Black Mountain. There will be a coffee bar with cookies each day.
“We want people to come and have fun while they shop for books,” Hoy said. “Remember to think Christmas is coming when you are book shopping.”
The books are priced from $1-$2 for hardbacks. Special books such as coffeetable types and others will be individually priced.
Book collection will officially begin Aug. 16. All donations are tax deductible, and donors will be given a form when they donate. Talley has volunteered to pick up books from those donating a full library. Smaller pick-ups can also be arranged. Talley may be reached at dontalley@gmail.com. Hoy is at judithhoy36@gmail.com, and Kelly Stephenson at the church is at 669-2754.
All proceeds will be donated to outreach programs that St. James Episcopal Church helps support - Ministry of Hope, Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, Bounty & Soul food distribution and Black Mountain Counseling Center.