Alison Facey
This marks the seventh year that Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) has partnered with the Salvation Army and Sunrise Rotary's Angel Tree Program and the citizens of Cranbrook to provide gift-quality books for toddlers, children, teens and adults for Christmas.
Over 300 children received books last year through this program. Collection boxes for new or gift-quality used books are located at the Cranbrook Public Library, Lotus Books, Christ Church Anglican, Nish Dental Clinic, Knox Presbyterian Church, EK Realty, Key City Theatre, Cranbrook United Church, Brooke PR, the Alliance Church as well as the CBAL office at 19A 9th Ave. South.
Please be sure that the books have no marks, names or torn pages as they are intended as gifts.
Books can be donated until December 15, then sorted and bagged in specially made draw-string bags. They are then given to the families collecting Christmas hampers or gifts through the Angel Tree Program.
We also invite the parents and other adults receiving Salvation Army hampers to choose a book as a Christmas gift from the community when they pick up their hampers.
Cranbrook has been generous in the past and we know that the need continues with the expected number of children receiving books to be over 350.
Volunteers have already made over 300 bags and now we need volunteers to help sort and bag the new and gift-quality books on December 17 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Christ Church Anglican.
Anyone wishing to volunteer please call Alison Facey, Community Literacy Coordinator, 250-420-7596 or email afacey@cbal.org.