Lift UP Library Donation Drive

The Background

In November, 2023, Laura Moulton, Executive Director, and Ben Hodgson (Hodge) from Street Books gave a presentation at a Land & Housing / Library Forum.  If you are unfamiliar with Street Books, it is a street library that provides community, resources, and advocacy for people living outside or at the margins in Portland, Oregon. Click here for more information https://streetbooks.org/mission.

The Outreach

 Out of this Forum grew an interest to stay connected with Street Books and the services they provide; and out of that interest the Library Volunteers and Friends have collaborated with Street Books and Lift UP/Preston’s Pantry to offer free books to the clients who come to the Pantry on Fridays.  Starting the beginning of June, 2024 each week the volunteers have set up the book table, displaying books in English, Mandarin, Spanish and Russian to accommodate the languages of the people who come.  Also available are designs to color and puzzle books that help the clients pass the time while they wait their turn.

The Need

• If you have any of the following, please drop them by the Library or Church Office with a note “for Pantry Book Table”.

• Colored pencils

• “stress-less” designs to color (might also be referred to as geometric patterns, mandalas)

• Puzzle books (crosswords, word searches, Sudoku)

• Books or sources for donated books in Mandarin, Spanish and Russian

• Food magazines with recipes

• 2025 Calendars (like the “free” ones you might get when you have donated money to a non-profit organization)

Questions?

If you are interested in knowing more about the book table at Lift UP/Preston’s Pantry, you can ask any of the Library Volunteers and Friends:

Diana Sellers, Nadine Schechtman, Cheryl Bittle, Kay Ward, Diana White or Martha Powell.

Or if you have any interest in volunteering on a Friday, get in touch with Diana Sellers dsellers0503@gmail.com.