Volunteer
We need hundreds of volunteers for an event the size of the Annual Bargain Book Sale. There is a job for almost everyone.
- If you like to organize, we need people to help set up the morning the sale opens.
- If you’re young and active, we need people to help buyers get purchases to their cars.
- If you need to sit down, we need people to count books and receive money.
- If you like to browse among the books, we need people to keep the tables orderly.
- If you like a fast pace, we need people to resort books and get them back on the tables so more can be sold.
And there’s so much more!
The Annual Bargain Book Sale is a great short-term volunteer opportunity for individuals, families, companies, youth groups, and others. Shifts are a reasonable length, but they can be tailored to your needs. We would love to have you join us and will be happy to work with you to find a job suits you.
It’s not too early to volunteer for the sale. If you’re ready to sign up now or want more information, just call the Friends office email us at info@friends.com.
 Warehouse Volunteers to Take Leadership Roles The Friends need a few good volunteer to take on some of the organizational tasks in their northwest Houston warehouse. This volunteer, or volunteers, would lead warehouse volunteers, make sure books for the sale are well-sorted, well-packed, and organized for a successful sale, call the coffee break on Saturday mornings, help plan the sale, and keep the warehouse the smooth running machine that it is. Our volunteers at the warehouse enjoy a camaraderie that is contagiously fun. We just need some more leaders! |
BECOME A VOLUNTEER AT THE FRIENDS WAREHOUSE!
There is not much that the Friends do that is more vital than the work performed by our volunteers at our warehouse. But, unless you are already a part of the warehouse process, you might not know about all the work that goes on there. Here, then, is a primer on the Friends Warehouse Operations and, of course, all the information you need about how you can become a part of it!
Some Important Facts
• Where’s the warehouse? It is at 6510 West Little York, 77040, in the Chase Bank/CVS Building.
• On an average Saturday morning from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., volunteers sort though six pallets of books.
• We are always working on sorting books in preparation for our two yearly book sales: the Children’s Book Sale in September, which features about 15,000 books, and the Annual Book Sale in March, which features more than 100,000 books.
Books
Most of the books that arrive at the warehouse are from the Library itself. These are books that have served their time on library shelves and in the homes of library patrons. There are also a lot of books that are donated from groups and individuals.
Sorting
Once the books are at the warehouse, the unopened boxes are placed in a central location. From here, volunteers open each box and sort out the contents. Each book is taken to its place in the room; signs around the warehouse show just where to put all the different types of books — fiction, biography, literature, children’s, history, Texana, reference, how-to, science, cook books, audio/visual, and on and on. This part of the process is hard work, but, if you enjoy working with books, the hardest part is keeping to the task when you are working with a particularly great load of books. You never know what will be in each box!
Better & Best
Once the books have been sorted into their respective piles, expert volunteers (you could be one of these, too) determine which books can be priced as Better or Best at the sale. Each book is then carefully boxed and labeled for the big day; this task is important since a careful job ensures the success of the move to the sale location.
This sounds like FUN! How can I help?
We are always looking for people to sort, but we are also looking for people who might be interested in making a long-term commitment to learning the warehouse operations as well. If you are looking for the perfect volunteer opportunity, give us a call!