Pequot Library Donates Remaining Books to Needy Following Big Summer Sale

Southport, CT – Pequot Library's Annual Summer Book Sale runs for five days of intelligent and intense book browsing and buying. After the last day of the sale, when books are $5.00 a bag, books can still remain on the tables. Do you wonder where the remaining books go, after Pequot Library's 53rd Annual Summer Book Sale ends? Pequot donates the books to those less fortunate, right next door in Bridgeport, CT, as well as to support literacy initiatives worldwide.

The Green Team, a part of the Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises (GBCE), will reuse the books. GBCE is a nonprofit community development corporation that creates new green businesses and jobs to employ disadvantaged area residents. GBCE enterprises exemplify the "triple bottom line" of environmental sustainability, family economic self-sufficiency and neighborhood development. Their mission is to create jobs, by creating and expanding Green businesses and provide training in the growing green economy so families throughout the region can achieve economic self-sufficiency while creating more sustainable communities.

Adrienne Houel, CEO of GBCE says, "We create jobs for people who need them. The Green Team's focus is waste stream diversion. For example, we will reuse ABC and if we can't reuse it, we will recycle it, thus turning ABC into XYZ." Marilyn Ondrasik of GBCE explains how the books will be used, "First we will give them a quick look, especially for Children's books. We will reuse them plus we plan to set up a used book store. The next step is to avoid books going into landfills or incinerators. What we don't reuse, we will send on to paper recyclers. This way the paper shows up again as books."

The story continues with Better World Books. From the idea of one small book drive to making a global impact on literacy, Better World Books has a desire to make a worldwide difference. The idea came to two Notre Dame College students and has grown to generate funding for leading literacy initiatives around the world. Better World Books partners to build schools, start libraries, train teachers and provide scholarships. They have reused or recycled over 127 million pounds of books and raised over $13 million for global literacy. Every book donated expands the collective impact. The Better World Books for Libraries helps make the most of the books a library no longer needs by reusing first – getting the books into hands of readers who will truly love them.

Martha Gates Lord, EdD, Pequot Library's executive directive says, "Both locally and around the world, what is so exciting is that every book donated to Pequot Library goes on the find a home."

Please visit www.pequotlibrary.org to learn more about this open-to-the-public small, unique, community library. All classes and programs are open to everyone. For information: (203) 259-0346 ext. 15.