Book sale bounces back after pandemic pause

Ruth Griffiths

It’s back! Like a long-dormant seed, the CFUW Book Sale will be bursting forth at South Hill Mall next week. The book sale is a sign of spring that has been greatly missed during the pandemic.

Due to pandemic restrictions, this is the first book sale the local university women’s club has been able to hold since the fall of 2019. Throughout these long isolated months there has been a continued desire to buy books and to donate books to the sale. During the pandemic people have been clearing out their basements and closets. Wanting to be responsible, they have looked around for homes for their surplus books. But the usual used book sale was not available to them.

SHARE has graciously stored hundreds, perhaps thousands, of books during the pandemic which will make their appearance at the book sale later this month.

If you have been storing books to donate in anticipation of the sale you are welcome to bring them to South Hill Mall on April 26 or 27.

The actual sale begins Friday, April 29. Because of the anticipated flood of books, sale hours have been expanded this year. As well as the usual Friday and Saturday hours on consecutive weekends, the sale will extend through the afternoons of the intervening weekdays.

The book sale will be held at South Hill Mall Friday and Saturday April 29 and 30, 10 to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday, May 2-5, noon-5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday May 6 and 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The sale will be mask friendly. You are encouraged to bring your own reusable bags in which to carry home the books you discover at this much anticipated sale.

New this year will be bargain bags of books for a set price. Otherwise, there is no fixed price for the books. After you have chosen your books you are invited to make a donation to the CFUW scholarship fund. In 2021, CFUW Prince Albert offered $5,000 in scholarships to Prince Albert students.

The book sale would not be responsible without the assistance of community partners including South Hill Mall, SHARE, Prince Albert Optimist Club. Special thanks goes to the company who cleaned the floors in preparation for the sale and wiped our bill clean! ServiceMaster Clean of Saskatoon provided their services free of charge when they learned the sale was raising money for scholarships.

A dedicated group of volunteers is needed to put on the sale. There are no employees, only people who love books and want to see them find new homes. If you are interested in volunteering at the sale please contact Colleen Hamilton at hamiltoc43@outlook.com call or text her at 306-940-3136. Besides creating the warm fuzzy feeling of contributing to a good cause, being a volunteer at the book sale gives you the first look at the treasure-trove of books being donated to the sale.

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