For the first time, Hoosier Hills Food Bank is being supported by the proceeds from the massive sale of used books, albums, DVDs and games. This year, over 100,000 items crowded the tables, filling a barn at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.
The fair is the largest in the state, one speaker said, prompting people to travel long distances in search of inexpensive books. Two elderly women browsing the aisles said they’ve been coming to the fair so long they’ve lost track of how many years it’s been. They drove more than 100 miles to attend. All the way from Kokomo, Indiana.
“This event could have easily gone away if there weren’t dedicated volunteers and a huge amount of community support,” Julio Alonso, HHFB’s executive director, said.
HHFB is a Bloomington-based nonprofit that provides over three million pounds of food to almost 100 other nonprofits every year, according to its website.
To put their own spin on the sale, which began on Thursday and ends on Tuesday, HHFB added a Star Wars-themed food sculpture, food trucks on the weekend days, a stamp and coin corner and a community events tent, among other things.
Most of the items at the fair were priced from 10 cents to $3. By Monday, attendees could fill an entire bag with merchandise for only $10. On Tuesday, all remaining items are free, though donations are encouraged.
Alonso said the Red Cross typically made between $70,000 and $90,000 in previous fairs. He said he hopes to raise a similar amount this year.
“It’s been a difficult year for us,” Alonso said. “Our local donations have been down significantly so we haven’t been able to keep up with the demands.”
He explained that, according to the most recent numbers, the food bank’s donations are down 10 percent since last August and its local retail and wholesale donations specifically are down 16 percent.
Alonso said many people only think to donate to charities like food banks in the winter months and the holiday season.
Over the summer, HHFB spent a lot of its money buying food, food it typically receives directly in donations.
“We’ve really been counting on this,” he said of the fair.
The books and items were divided up into sections: mystery, history, art, biography, etc. Colorful album covers were strung from the ceiling.
Vintage Elvis records sold for around $70 and an old vinyl copy of the Beatle’s Magical Mystery Tour album sold for $100.
“Some people have really rare, old books and albums just sitting in a box in their attic that they don’t even realize are valuable,” said Kathy Anderson, one of the volunteers at the fair.
For Anderson, who was trained in the Lilly Library’s rare books program, sorting through the donations is a joy.
“I just think books are amazing,” she said. “It’s just the smell and the look and everything about older books. I could never be an online reader.”
