- Tammy VanderMolen, a neighbor in Holt, is going out of her way to get books to North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
- Kirsten Turner, a woman from North Carolina, was the one to start this mission.
Video shows books from the Holt Bookshelf in boxes ready to head down south.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Books like these are finding a new home—but not one you’d normally expect. Thousands of dollars worth of books are being sent down to Tennessee for families affected by the hurricane.
"The first week I had this idea, I asked my neighbors to donate books," said Kirsten Turner.
Exactly one month ago, "I knew we needed to keep doing this, and I thought, ‘How will I ever find enough books to meet this need?’"
Kirsten Turner from North Carolina started gathering books to give to families after Hurricane Helene.
"For me, it feels like neighbor helping neighbor. It’s what we’re supposed to do."
She’s been delivering books in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
"They’re not out of the woods yet, and it’s going to be a long road to recovery."
Her idea to help kept growing. Brittany Smith from Tennessee got involved, and through Facebook, she connected with someone from Holt.
"She said there’s this bookstore in Holt that’s going out of business because the owners want to retire. They’ve got incredible prices," said Brittany Smith.
That’s the bookstore called Holt Bookshelf.
The store’s owner, Laura Spanburg, says boxes upon boxes have been filled, and Brittany from Tennessee is coming here to take the books down south.
"I think we have maybe four hundred boxes of books," said Spanburg.
Spanburg says as customers come in, she shares the mission, and they’re joining in.
"I donated some, but they are buying the rest. Some people are bringing in donations, and we’ll take that too. Anything is appreciated."
For Turner, who started this effort, she says that in just a month, people are donating from across the world.
"It’s a lot of book box lifting, organizing, and everything. But every time we go and I see the joy on everyone’s faces, from children to adults, and hear their stories, it makes every moment of this worth it," said Turner.
I’ve linked information on where to donate below.
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