On the eve of National Day, staff of the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) spent half a day out in the energetic neighborhood of Toa Payoh.
One walk around the neighbourhood and you will know that National Day is near. All the tell-tale signs of an impending celebration present themselves as red and white flags that sat on windowsills or gates, with many others hoisted on makeshift flag poles made from long bamboo sticks.
Following a traditional breakfast fix, comprising kaya toasts, soft-boiled eggs and kopi (sock-pulled coffee), at Toast Box, SNCF staff headed to the neighbourhood library on foot to do good. This year, SNCF decided to pay it forward by donating pre-loved books to the library.
A total of 47 books, comprising picture books and novels, were collected and placed on the book exchange counter in the library. These books go to visitors of the library who may wish to pick up a book or two, quite the perfect way for our staff members to kickstart their book recycling habits and not toss them away.
The public libraries are not the only places for you to offer up your pre-loved books to the public. Continue reading to find out where you can donate your pre-loved books in Singapore.
1) Books Beyond Borders
Local social enterprise Books Beyond Borders has been empowering the children of Nepal through book donation drives and sales. As of March 2022, Books Beyond Borders has rehomed over 14,000 books and donated over $30,000 of their net profit for education.
Check out Books Beyond Borders here.
2) Blessings in a Bag
Run by volunteers, the community-led exercise Blessings in a Bag aims to provide children and youth in Singapore with the essentials they need to feel loved and safe. Beyond household products, you can donate books to the passionate team of volunteers too. Interestingly, overseas communities have also benefited from the goodwill efforts since its establishment 10 years ago.
Check out Blessings in a Bag here.
3) Share-A-Textbook by FairPrice Group
An annual community programme by FairPrice Group, one of our local co-operatives, Share-A-Textbook programme sees Singaporeans re-donating their pre-loved textbooks to students from needy families. That said, the donation period usually takes place from November till the end of the year at FairPrice outlets. More importantly, you can choose to donate assessment books or encyclopedias as “reference books” too.
More information on Share-A-Textbook will be disseminated in the later half of the year.
A quick note…
Before donating books or any other preloved items away, make a point to check out the organisations’ donation policies. That way, you will have a better grasp of what types of books the organisations need. Finally, do check your items for wear and tear, as well as packing them into groups to help volunteers’ sort things out.
Happy giving!
