URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — The Urbana Champaign Books to Prisoners fall benefit sale is back on October 12. Only on that Saturday can gently used books be purchased for as low as fifty cents.
The one-day book sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Independent Media Center in Urbana. Organizers say the fundraiser "provides critical support for its mission: to provide free books to people incarcerated." The center has an accessible entrance.
There will be around 8,000 books in various subjects and genres, including young adult fiction, textbooks, and many children's books.
Hardcovers will cost $2, trade paperbacks $1, pocket paperbacks 50 cents, T-shirts $25, and tote bags $7. Organizers say cash, checks, and credit cards are welcome, and there will also be a carry-out service.
Organizers say books for sale are not allowed inside prisons. They say the prison has enough copies, or the books are not requested enough for the prison to add them to its shelves.
This year, the U-C Books to Prisoners turns 20. Organizers say that 180,000 books were sent to 24,500 incarcerated people during that time. The organization works with the Sheriff's Office to stock and staff the lending library inside the Champaign County Jail and the County Juvenile Detention Center.
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