Book & Bake sale supports incarcerated readers

West End

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This article was published 07/06/2023 (864 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Library Association’s Prison Library Committee (PLC) and Bar None Winnipeg are holding their sixth annual Book & Bake Sale on June 17 to raise funds for the two not-for-profit organizations, both of which provide essential services to the local incarcerated population.

The sale, held at the WestEnd Commons (641 St. Matthews Ave.), is pay-what-you-can, and will be full of used books and baked goods, thanks to community partners such as Millennium Library, St. James Library, Thyme Café and Books, and Eadha Bread.

The Prison Library Committee is a volunteer-run group dedicated to establishing libraries inside of prisons and correctional facilities in the province, giving incarcerated people a chance to read and educate themselves through books, workshops and guests since it was established in 2012.

Bar None Winnipeg is also volunteer-run, and its Prison Rideshare program helps friends and family members of incarcerated people travel safely to prisons outside the city when they are unable to access or afford a ride otherwise.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser for sure,” said PLC chair Kirsten Wurmann. The PLC has no funding outside of the $500 a year from the Manitoba Library Association, and the sale’s proceeds are used to obtain harder-to-find materials.

Books are often a look into the rest of the world, Wurmann said, and can keep people in incarceration from feeling isolated and alone. It also builds the relationships inside and strengthens the connections to those they can’t see as often.

“There’s a few guys at Headingley Correctional Centre, and they’ve sort of called themselves the librarians of their unit,” Wurmann explained. She said that they’ll give her the scoop on what’s popular. Stephanie Meyer and J.R.R. Tolkien are recent hits.

Wurmann also fondly mentioned one man from Milner Ridge Correctional Centre who devoted ‘trusty’ job to being a librarian, spending time shelving and organizing the books as they come in.

“He makes a very little amount of money for it, but it’s something that he can really take ownership of and be proud of,” Wurmann said. She said that, although they’ve had a positive impact, it’s unfortunate that a volunteer group had to come on and provide those spaces for the people in these facilities.

“It should be a space that is funded and paid for. There should be a professional library worker in there working alongside those library trusties. But until that happens, our committee will keep delivering books…

We all love stories and our community members who are incarcerated are no different, right?”

Last year’s sale was incredibly successful, partly thanks to everyone wanting to come out and engage with events following the lockdown. The sale raised $5,000, which was split between the two organizations.

This year’s Book & Bake Sale hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 17.

For more information on the PLC and ways to donate, visit online at mla.mb.ca/about/committees/prison-libraries-committee

For more information on Bar None Winnipeg and its ride-share program, visit barnonewpg.org