Books donations box

Has someone in your life been nagging you to quit wasting so much space with books that you finished reading years ago? If you’re anything like me, you have tons of books that you’re keeping because you think that one day you just might read them again. And you might do almost all your reading on an electronic tablet these days. So those paperback and hardback books will probably never be opened again.

I recently made some difficult decisions about divesting myself of books that I’m unlikely to read in paper form again. And guess what! It felt great to know that those books had a chance to enhance someone else’s life instead of just sitting on my shelves.

Do you think you’re ready for that? If not, maybe the best thing is to move them to a self-storage unit at Browning Park Mini Storage in Benton, AR.

But if you are ready to donate your books to places that will put them to good use, below are some suggestions.

General Non-Profit Organizations

When you think about non-profits, you probably immediately think of Goodwill and the Salvation Army. These both have retail stores where they sell your used books at a reduced price.

Both Goodwill and the Salvation Army use the money earned in their retail stores for programs to help individuals rehab from their addiction to drugs or alcohol or to provide job training for members of the community.

The result is that your book donation to these non-profits contributes to helping individuals in need. Just check out their online websites for the location nearest to you.

Books for Soldiers

Books for Soldiers is a program that provides a way to send reading material to soldiers who sometimes experience long periods of downtime during their overseas posting. Soldiers who participate in the program put in their requests, and you can make some soldiers very happy by shipping books, DVDs, games, or relief supplies to them.

Once you’ve registered on the site, you can send books to specific soldiers, or you can send a whole box to a platoon that needs reading material. You will have to pay for shipping, but helping soldiers more than makes up for shipping costs.

Books for Africa

This charity has a simple mission. As they state on their Books for Africa website, “We collect, sort, ship, and distribute books to students of all ages in Africa. Our goal: to end the book famine in Africa.”

Books for Africa ships more donated books to Africa than any other charity. Check their website to understand what they are looking for. For example, they ask that books be no more than 15 years old. You are responsible for shipping costs to their main location in St. Paul, MN.

Friends of Libraries

Your local library might have a chapter of Friends of Libraries, a non-profit that either sells donated books to earn money for the library or adds donated books to the library’s inventory. Check with your local library for more information about donating your books locally.

What Are You Waiting For?

Donating your books can clear a lot of space in your home, and it can be very rewarding to know that your books are once again bringing happiness to others.

If you need a place to store your books in the meantime – or anything else, for that matter – visit us at Browning Park Mini Storage in Benton, AR, to check out storage solutions.