Someone's trash is someone's treasure

I love the idea of small projects that get off the ground to help others - they often seem to have come from a 'lightbulb moment'. As the footy season comes to an end it might be donating unwanted (grown out of!) football boots for footy loving children in Northern Australia with Boots for Kids (donate at Coles) or through Boots for all (see link here).

A happy chappy who would be happier with footy boots

There are a whole range of areas where one can give - and the website www.givenow.com.au includes bikes, blankets, knitting goods, electricals and even corks (sadly the Melbourne Zoo has finally closed their elephant enclosure fundraiser - after 62.5 million corks were collected - unbelievable). Do take time to click on the links and be inspired.

I was reminded of the quotation - someone's trash is someone's treasure at the recent Melbourne Writers Festival where I picked up a brochure and bookmark (clever marketing) on the Footpath Library campaigning for books for those less fortunate than ourselves. Their aim is to make books more accessible to the homeless and disadvantaged members of our society and to change our attitudes to these people and encourage literacy.What a wonderful initiative.

As we move to Kindles, Ebooks, Ipads and Tablets sadly our home libraries are loaded with books we will probably never read again. So if you are having a spring clean then why not consider making a donation. Here is the list of the books that are accepted. I liked what they had to say: 

We have great respect for our customers.  In support of their self esteem and pride, please consider our clientele when donating books. Please do not send damaged or poor quality books especially those that may have been sitting in a garage for years.  Books over 10 years old are not suitable. Books which do not meet these guidelines will be thrown out. 

Books We Accept

Novels including thrillers, historical, romance, science fiction, fantasy, teen

Biographies and autobiographies

Puzzle and crossword books

Dictionaries

Thesauruses

Atlases

Music theory

Art history

Cookbooks – very basic, no gourmet, desserts, cordon bleu etc

Sporting books – biographies, histories etc

Parenting

Health

Self-help

History

Science

Geography

Photography

Philosophy

Psychology

Children’s books

National Geographic Magazines

Books We Can Not Accept

True crime

Anything with suicide or drug themes or extreme violence

Religious material

Encyclopaedias

Coffee table style books on any subject

Wine and restaurant guides

Street directories

Travel guides eg Lonely Planet

Magazines except National Geographic

How to get rich quick guides, investment or small business guides

The list of books they can't accept is particularly tellling. Look on line to see where your donations can be dropped off or contact the office direct. I'm off to do a bookcase spring clean right now!