Neighbor News
Crossing Boundaries With Love and Books
The Songbird sorts and pack books for Books for Taiwan during a time of uncertainty, striving to fulfill their purpose of spreading love.
On May 30th, the Songbird members enthusiastically packed hundreds of books for Books For Taiwan. Several volunteers sorted the books while sitting on make-shift stools, as other members were on standby, scissors and tape ready to seal the boxes. After years of volunteering for Books For Taiwan, the Songbird were accustomed to the flow of the book-packing “assembly line”, books go in the box, the box goes outside. The smell of old book dust and fresh Sharpie infiltrated the members’ nostrils as they breathed in the smell of a new day. Despite their familiarity with volunteering for Books For Taiwan, the difficult and uncertain nature of the pandemic felt heavy-hearted feelings on not only the Songbird, but the world. The Songbird hoped to spread positivity and love by continuing service during COVID, extending their gratitude to others. If one book can make a student in Taiwan happy, then the Songbird firmly believes they have accomplished their purpose.
Overall, there were 6 members and 2 parents of the Songbird who spent their afternoon separating the books into children’s books, teenager books, and adult books. The volunteers noticed that there was a large amount of children’s books and chapter books. As certain members created boxes and others counted the books, everyone worked to their fullest potential to provide reading material for disadvantaged students in Taiwan. It was truly an afternoon well spent, and an opportunity to prove that during times of crisis, volunteerism can still flourish.
In the end, the Songbird ended up packed 25 full boxes of books to ship overseas. Not only has the Songbird crossed state borders to gather (under the 10-person limit) to do good for others, but, as part of Books for Taiwan, also surpassed country borders. The Songbird is incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to spread their wings and provide more books for those in need. The impact of a book is woven in between the pages of love. The Songbird also wishes for everyone to stay safe and take care during this time. Volunteering truly is something anyone can do at anytime, no matter how tough the circumstances.
