Hello SIBA friends!

In the wake of Hurricane Helene and ahead of Hurricane Milton, SIBA bookstores have organized in their communities and among each other to offer aid. 

Firestorm Books in Asheville, NC has been acting as a distribution hub for relief supplies. The size of deliveries has grown from smaller vehicles to U-Haul trucks, and community members are running loops to acquire and distribute supplies. Firestorm has brought the community together to unload trucks, organize inventory, manage trash, restock, run supplies to where their needed, and even bilingual people to answer questions and assist. One person even asked if they were FEMA!

Main Street Books in Davidson, NC, is coordinating hurricane relief drives and has delivered up to 21 loaded trucks and SUVs of donations to western areas of North Carolina.

Book + Bottle in St. Petersburg, FL offered a musical evening to the public where they had a donation drive for relief items and allowed the public to hear some good music, enjoy a beverage, and help each other. After the event, all donations were taken to a local center.

Many SIBA stores have also run fundraisers. Downtown Books in Manteo, NC raised more than $600 for Binc this past weekend through donating 10% of sales. Page158 Books in Wake Forest, NC is running a used book sale this week where all proceeds benefit relief efforts in Western North Carolina. Read Spotted Newt in Hazard, KY is selling merchandise to support the Appalachian Helene Impact Fund.

If your store is working with the community on relief efforts, we’d love to hear from you! Please email candice@sibaweb.com with any stories, fundraisers, or resources you would like to share. You can also view our hurricane relief information and resources page here. SIBA plans to keep this page updated with Hurricane Milton information as well.