Online book sale spreads Christmas cheer to families in need

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This article was published 25/10/2021 (1758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I’ve been sorting through my kids’ books, making room for new books and a giveaway pile for the stories they’ve grown out of. I always get a little sentimental when I go through their things, especially well-loved books and favourite toys and outfits, because it reminds me how much they’re growing and changing. Still, I try not to get attached to objects.

I am giving our pile of used books to my friend Ally Beauchesne for an online book sale she’ll hold after Halloween. This is the second year she’s done the sale with the goal of raising money to make Christmas Hampers for families in need.

The books will be organized, numbered and posted on her Facebook and Instagram accounts for anyone to buy. Children’s books will be $1 and adult books $3. Proceeds will go toward buying gifts and perishable items for the hampers Ally will put together for families who she’s been matched with by Inspire Community Outreach.

She’s not sure how much money she’ll make or even how many books she’ll end up having for sale. Last year, she put the call out to her friends on social media and in her local giveaway group, asking if anyone had books they’d like to donate. People, many of whom were strangers, rallied behind her, donating books and spreading the word about the donation drive and sale. Her mom did a big purge from her own bookshelf, dropping off boxes upon boxes to Ally’s house.

“I figured what’s the worst that can happen? If it flopped, I’ll just donate the books back to the community in some way,” Ally said, adding she got the idea from a friend who raised $1,500 for Manitoba Harvest in an online book sale last year.

It didn’t flop. On the contrary, the book drive and sale far exceeded her expectations.

“It just exploded. So many people reached out to donate books… There were books all over my house, and there was no space for anything,” Ally laughed, adding her husband, Josh Lisoway, was instrumental in moving, sorting and stacking boxes of books around their home last year. They both spent hours sorting and navigating through piles and boxes of donations, but he did all the heavy lifting because she was pregnant with their second daughter.

“I couldn’t have done this without him.”

Last year’s book sale pulled in nearly $1,400, which was enough to round out each of the seven hampers with perishable food items and an extra $25 Sobeys gift card for each family. Some folks didn’t buy books and just donated money, Ally said. All of the children’s books sold. She said people went bananas for them. Many of the adult books sold, too, and the ones that didn’t were used to stock the Little Free Libraries in Ally’s neighbourhood.

It was a win for everyone.

Ally’s reasons for doing the online book sale and making the hampers is simple. She wants to make a difference. She’s humble when explaining why she spends so much of her time and energy on this project. She downplays the hours of time and the amount of energy and mental capacity it takes. She gets a lot out of doing it.

“Christmas is so special,” Ally said. “My mom always made sure everyone had a good Christmas… She made sure that the day was meaningful for everyone.”

Ally is doing the same for others: making magic and giving hampers and the peace of mind that comes along with them to folks who could use a little help. She has again partnered with Inspire Community Outreach this year and hopes to make 10 hampers for families in need. She’s planning to have her online book sale on the weekend of Nov. 6 and 7, posting the books on her Facebook page in a public album, as well as on her Instagram stories.

If you’re interested in checking out the sale or have some books to donate, you can follow her on Instagram at @allybeauchesne or look her up on Facebook.

shelley.cook@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @ShelleyAcook