2013 “POPs” with Excitement ~ A Look at the Year Ahead

2012 was a great year for the POP Project, filled with fun events, great volunteers, and some big book donations!

In February 2012, POP expanded our prison books program into 5 states with a donation to the men’s state prison in Georgia. Later in the Spring, we held our inaugural “Rethink Ink” book sale and fundraiser. In April, POP was also one of the groups who participated in the first World Book Night in America.

POP was also able to start a few new and expand existing volunteer programs during 2012. In August, we began our Flex Project through Hands On Asheville-Buncombe, dedicated to supporting the mission of fellow nonprofit Homeward Bound of Asheville. On September 6, volunteers from the Literacy Council helped POP sort, pack, and deliver over $7,000 around Buncombe County in a single afternoon! And for Banned Books Week in October, POP coordinated the “Paint the Town REaD” read-a-thon downtown.

Twelve months ago, we couldn’t have imagined how far we would go. But now, POP has plans to expand even further during 2013….

Let’s Make 2013 Another Year to Remember!

POP wants to keep expanding our donation base, programs, and volunteer opportunities for the coming year. Here are just a few things we are preparing for 2013:

• Expand into additional counties in WNC: POP plans to expand east and west to cover additional counties in Western North Carolina that could benefit from a greater access to books. Are there schools, shelters, development centers, detention centers, healthcare facilities in your county that could benefit from a few good books?
• Offering storage sponsorships: The storage units POP rents to house our books comprise our largest administrative costs. POP is looking for monthly storage donors at the $60 level to help cover these costs. Donors will be featured in our monthly newsletter, as well as on our blog and social media accounts. (POP is a 501(c)(3) organization, and your donations may be tax deductible.)
• 2nd Annual “Rethink Ink” book sale and fundraiser: POP accepts almost all kinds of books, and so we have collected many more than we can currently find homes for. Our “Rethink Ink” fundraiser encourages people to keep paper books alive through the digital revolution, while also serving as our largest fundraiser of the year. Look for more info, coming soon.
• Increase the number of books we donate by 15%: In 2012, POP was able to find homes for over $18,000 worth of books. That’s great work, but we know we can do even better! By expanding our programs, and the reach of our donations, we plan to break the $20,000 mark! If you are interested in helping us transport books, or you know any organizations that could benefit from a greater access to books, let us know.
• More programming for Banned Books Week 2013, including a 2nd Annual “Paint the Town REaD”: Banned Books Week is a national week devoted to showcasing the power of the printed word. The POP Project is committed to bringing Banned Books Week to life in Asheville by creating events and partnering with local organizations who work to ensure that no book is ever banned again.
• Add additional drop box locations around Asheville: Our sincerest thanks to West End Bakery for their continued support of the POP Project, and for hosting our drop box in West Asheville. POP would like to make drop boxes available to people on all sides of town. Contact us if your business or organization is interested in hosting a drop box.

If you can help with any of these projects, or if you think there are additional areas in which POP can serve WNC, contact us today!