Lions Club member Antoon Houben at the annual Lions Club Gently Used Book Sale from Oct. 27 - 29 at the Barriere Lions Hall.
This annual fundraiser for Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach under Yellowhead Community Services is held to raise funds that contribute to youth literacy within the area; including free tutoring, the Teddy Bear Picnic, summer camps, theatre camps, free books for babies, and much more.
Houben said, “Books were priced from .50 cents to $1.00 and the Lions raised $830. I’ll start tonight and take a third to half to ship off to Kamloops and distribute to Value Village and Big Brothers and Sisters. I immediately start collecting for next year. This year we had some additional items besides the books. One entire table completely filled with movies and jig saw puzzles as well. As people contact me throughout the year to donate more books, I will arrange to meet them since I live so close to the Lions Hall and we will happily do it all again next year.”
Houben also reminds residents of Barriere there are two important events coming up in December which include the annual District of Barriere and Lions sponsored breakfast with Santa with approximately 150 to 200 children visiting that day.
Each child will receive a brand new book paid for out of the literacy fund.
“We have an amazing Christmas Day Dinner each year in Barriere at no charge to anyone in the area that attends and we are proud to deliver to shut-ins on Christmas Day. Everything is done by volunteers. Last year we did about 250 dinners with 17 turkeys cooking in every available oven at the high school, Legion, Seniors Centre and the Lions Hall. Entirely volunteer driven and the Chamber coordinates the whole dinner.”
The deliveries are done by the volunteers in their own neighbourhoods with Barriere Elementary school students decorating the bags the dinners are delivered in. “A real community event from the heart.”
