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Half Price Books has had book donation programs since their founding in 1972. "We have always sought out alternative ways to deal with our excess book inventories because filling landfills is not an option for our company," Scott Ward, Donations Manager, said. "Books should fill our lives, and not our landfills."
The Donations Storefront in Farmers Branch is the latest step in this evolution. It is a unique "free" book store serving educational and non profit needs throughout the Greater North Texas Area and beyond. Scott said that through this facility, they place over 500,000 books per year. "We put these books back to work in our communities, serving schools, churches, retirement homes, hospitals, shelters and others," Scott said. In addition, other programs at the warehouse in Farmers Branch donate another one million books to programs overseas and across America.
"Although most of the merchandise we distribute comes from the excess inventories of our Half Price Books retail book stores, we are always happy to work with groups in our communities as a distributor in their efforts to contribute," Scott added. "Books can make a big difference in people's lives, making our world a better place to live."
Jackie Damrau said that it's always interesting to see the types of books members purchase for the book drive. "Through the years, I have seen the same books come through, which shows that these authors are still well liked by the young and the old," Jackie said. "It is heartwarming to see how our chapter comes together during the holiday season to contribute to our community. Without our small contribution, a child may not go on to become the next Edgar Allen Poe or Maya Angelou."
Kathryn Poe, who also has been contributing to the book drive for several years, said that she has always had a house full of books. "My parents read to me often when I was a kid, and I still read with any spare moment," she added. "I love the idea of giving that to a kid who may not have it otherwise. Besides, where else can you sit and read Green Eggs and Ham in Spanish?"
The Half Price Books Donations Storefront is located at 13400 Stemmons Freeway (I-35 E) about two blocks north of Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch, TX. The hours for the Donations Storefront are Saturdays only from 9 a.m. to noon. If you would like to donate books, you can drop them off during the week, so that your books become available on Saturdays during the Donations Storefront hours. For more information about the Half Price Books Donations Storefront, please call their Donations Information line at (972) 406-0198.