As schools in the districts hardest hit by Hurricane Michael begin to reopen, five independent booksellers across the state are hosting a fundraiser to re-stock the libraries of those schools. One of the participating bookstores is in Fernandina Beach.
Story & Song will raise cash for the Re-book to Re-build fundraiser this weekend, Nov. 3 and 4. The independent bookstore was not in the path of Hurricane Michael, and co-owner Mark Paz Kaufman says he wants to help.
“Obviously when we live on a barrier island and realize, but for the grace of God, it could be us with the next hurricane. Anyone could be affected living in Florida, and we never know what kind of devastation it could cause,” said Kaufman.
His bookstore will ask for cash donations from the community.
“School libraries in particular find it very difficult to accept used books,” he said. “It’s just a bureaucratic nightmare to try to get them catalogued, logged into the system. What they really need now, more than anything, is cash.”
Story & Song will also match the money raised by its customers.
“What we know to be true about this community is that the spirit of giving and the spirit of volunteerism is so strong where people have been very generous with their time and with their money to support those in need,” he said.
The event is being co-hosted by the Florida Department of Education, and the money raised will be invested in grants for school districts to buy books.
The other participating shops are:
- Bayou Books, Niceville
- Books & Books, Coral Gables
- MacIntosh Books, Sanibel Island
- Midtown Reader, Tallahassee
