The Friends of the Library of Hawaii book sale at the McKinley High School cafeteria ended Sunday afternoon, but for the books not sold, it’s the beginning of a journey to the Western Pacific.
When the sale ended at 2 p.m., volunteers from the local Micronesian community, Morgan Stanley and the Farrington High School football team swooped in and got to work. They boxed and loaded into containers about 10,000 unsold books that will be donated to schools and public libraries in Palau and Pohnpei.
“Education and knowledge is power, so in these places in Micronesia, they don’t get the broadband to get the information as quick and efficiently as we can here, so these books will help expand Micronesia’s education greatly,” said Cierra Nakamura, volunteer coordinator for Reachout Pacific.
Besides books, the containers are being loaded with school furniture from Palama Settlement and a variety of medical supplies from Shriners Hospital.
As for the money raised from the books that did sell, the Friends of the Library of Hawaii is hoping for a final tally of about $200,000, money that will support programs that the state budget doesn’t, like the summer reading programs throughout the state’s 50 public libraries.
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