Volunteer with fellow Yalies! On October 22, we’re going to be helping the Prison Book Program (PBP), an organization that supports people in prison by sending them free books and reading materials that meet their specific needs and interests. Each package of books from PBP includes a personalized message of encouragement to the recipient. Readers often write back to thank the PBP for their kind words. Not only do incarcerated people receive books they want to read, but they feel cared about and seen—sometimes for the first time in years.
During our shift, we may do a variety of different initiatives:
Choose books from the library to match requests from incarcerated readers
Prepare book packages for the mail
Sort through donated books and decide which ones to keep and where to shelve them
Process incoming book requests
Prepare invoices listing the books being sent in each package, including a brief, personal handwritten note to the incarcerated recipient
The Prison Book Program is run out of the basement of the United First Parish Church in the heart of Quincy Center (also known as the “Church of the Presidents”). It is a short walk from the Quincy Center T-stop on the Red Line. See this link for further directions and parking instructions.