Anyone that loves to write is probably a reader and passionate about books. In my own case, I started my love of the written word early in life and have been reading ever since. I found that reading helps me to relax after a long day at the computer, but once read those books can accumulate. Some people can’t seem to part with their books and like to read the same ones again, but I would rather seek out a fresh novel instead while avoiding the clutter of an excess of books. Therefore, I gathered some ideas for you on what to do with your used books to give them a new home through donation.
You can start by asking your friends and family if they would welcome some free books. I have donated quite a huge collection to a neighbor across the street that has kept him, his wife and children pleasantly reading. In fact, it did my heart good to watch them sit outside with a familiar looking cover of a book in their hand when I gazed out the door. My books brought them pleasure, cleaned some of my excess and made me feel good that they were being enjoyed by genuine readers.
Another idea for unloading used books once read is to donate them to charity. You can call various organizations such as Goodwill, Salvation Army or my favorite that I call with National Children’s Cancer Society to pick up a box or boxes. You can contact them by phone or even online to set a date and time.
You mark the organization’s name clearly on the box first before leaving it outside in front of your house. If the weather is raining or snowing, you can request them to ring your doorbell or knock so you can pass out the box. Their pickup people will provide a tax receipt as well.
What else you do to give used books a new home is donating them to your local library or church to set aside for their next book or a rummage sale. You will be helping them earn money and benefitting yourself getting the books out of your house in order to make room for your new supply.
Senior centers and senior care facilities are also prime donation spots when it comes to what to do with your books. Not only will you be clearing your clutter, you will be bringing smiles to some people that may find it hard to get out or buy fresh reading material.
Hospitals are another wonderful place to relocate your used books. Many of them have reading carts to pass out to patients. Your books could be the extra medicine that could help a patient take their mind off of pain.
Schools and day care centers are other excellent places to drop off used books. Teachers need to buy their own books for their classroom and would welcome new additions to their class library. The same holds true for day care centers that would love to have fresh story to entertain easily bored children.
Shelters are another place that used books could help bring joy to others. Helping another briefly take their mind off of a bad situation would mean a lot. There are plenty of worthy organizations to call in your area that would welcome book donations.
Group homes are still another thought of where you could drop off your used books to donate. Whether the residents are dealing with drug addiction, hospice or following a stint in prison, your books could help them pass time as well as better able to cope with their situations.
One last thought is checking if your city or town has a local Little Free Library set up. This is one of the clear book boxes that contains about two shelves or so with a range of donated volumes. You pull the door open to take what you need. Later, you donate books back to keep the cycle going.
These are just some great donation ideas of what to do with your used books that could help you as well as those fortunate people you decide to share your books with.
