A Package of Love - Songbird Youth Volunteer Group

On the cold and bitter morning on November 26^th, the Songbird youth group worked together to pack hundreds of books, those of which were meant to be sent overseas to Taiwan. During this time, most people were still stuck in the haze of the holidays, however, all 11 members dedicated a portion of their Thanksgiving break, to share the kindness and love of the holiday spirit.

These books were recycled, and would’ve been thrown out by libraries otherwise. Crate by crate, the Songbird members were able to collect hundreds of books for both young children and teenagers. After this grueling task, they still required sturdy boxes, which could be sent overseas. It was with the kindness of the Basking Ridge shop keepers and the Songbird members relentless energy, that they were able to rack up piles of cardboard boxes that were ready to be filled and shipped.

The first step in the very long process, was the sorting of books. All the books were separated into three categories, children, youth, and cookbooks. The youngest of our group (age 10) was asked to transport these books, one by one, to the correct area. A pretty big job for a pretty small person! Each member of Songbird was armed with an expo marker, so that they could write the category, number of books, and weight of the books, on the flap of the box. Every detail was crucial to the execution of such a meticulous task. The result was a total of 35 boxes. 700 pounds of love and determination.

In the end, the garage once full to the brim with books, was now empty. However, the hearts of the Songbird members were still full of kindness. Hopefully, this kindness can flow its way into the souls of the children who read these books, and inspire them to help others as well.