By Wendy Trust, Volunteer for The Book Bank FoundationThis year on December 16th, The Book Bank Foundation members and volunteers traveled through 4 of the 5 New York City boroughs and delivered over 300 coats, over 75 bags of donated clothes, and hundreds of toys to shelters and to the streets. We started at 10:30 a.m. and traveled tell 10:30 p.m. at night ensuring that every ounce of donated clothing was delivered. We had a full-sized travel bus, and the donated items were packed to the brim underneath and piled in the back of the bus. It was a great event whose success can be measured in the heart and passion of The Book Bank Foundation members that worked hard to make the event happen. Click to view photos.
From my perspective, every once and awhile, you meet people that change your life. The people of The Book Bank Foundation have done that for me by sharing with me an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself. This past week I was lucky enough to be a part of two signature events for The Book Bank Foundation, first the Hero Awards, and second, Shelter from the Street. This is a charity that does real work, for real people who need it. What I mean by that is, we did something profound in Shelter from the Streets….we took real items like clothing, coats, and toys to real people who couldn’t afford to purchase them and gave it to them. There are a lot of organizations out there that do great things for people, but many of them take the donated items and store them in warehouses until they can get sorted and then give it to people who need them 2-3 years later. So when people ask me why I was crazy enough to juggle my family, work, school and helping The Book Bank Foundation, my reply, “The Book Bank Foundation is doing the right thing, fighting illiteracy and trying to give back to those communities that need the helping hand of humanity....it just feels right to me.“
On a separate note, earlier this week in Barnegat, New Jersey, a family’s home burnt to the ground. The Book Bank Foundation found out (with their new location in Jackson, NJ) and was on site delivering several bags of clothing, coats and shoes to the family by 11:00 a.m.
In short, I have witnessed two profound things that the Book Bank Foundation has done this week (both the Shelter from the Streets and helping the fire victims in Barnegat) and I am truly blessed to have shared these moments with this great organization.
Thank you Glenn Toby, Jennifer Lewis , Jamaal, Tee, Slim, Eva, CFG, Dr. Ira, GOG, Kathleen, Larry B. and the rest of the crew who worked hard this week to make this happen. It was well worth the journey.
P.S. If you would like to donate or get involved, you can email info@thebookbankfoundation.org.
