In the weeks after the hurricane, she had cleaned out her cupboards and closets gathering donatable items that she felt would make a difference, only to find out that so much had been donated that warehouses full of clothes were being cleared out to make room for building supplies. She had also noticed several charity websites thanking everyone for the outpouring of items, but asking for the deluge of clothing and other goods to slow down because the organizations were overwhelmed and unable to get everything distributed. So Girlawhirl was thrilled to find an organization that she could help.

But after a bit of additional research, Girlawhirl discovered that the New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) is currently receiving hundreds of books every day and with storage and staffing limitations, it's stretched to the limit. As it turns out, some of the books received by NOPL are being given to the Friends of the Library organization so they can organize book sales to benefit NOPL

Some suggestions from NOPL for people who want to help:

• Send a monetary donation instead of books

• Organize a book sale in your neighborhood on behalf of NOPL and then send it the proceeds

• Purchase ‘rebuild NOPL' T-shirts and bookplates

• And, if sending off a box of books still sounds like a good idea, check their website for the address and further information

Go Do It!

For more information on all of the options above, click here