Ex-Planned Parenthood volunteers team up with Caring Hands for Iowa's Biggest Book Sale

Former volunteers at Planned Parenthood North Central States are launching a new book sale and are asking the community for help.

Volunteers who have dedicated years to organizing Planned Parenthood's bi-annual book sale have recently partnered with Caring Hands to launch Iowa's Biggest Book Sale and are seeking $150,000 in donations to bring the event to life. They say the money will be used to reconfigure a portion of Caring Hands' warehouse where the books and other items will be stored, resolve leasehold improvements and pay off other fees.

Apart from their fundraising goal, they said they hope to host their first sale in October and start accepting donations in April.

Garry Rowland and Linda Gronert, two longtime volunteers who are part of the latest venture, said they are excited to work with Caring Hands, an organization in Altoona made up of Christian churches and community groups. The organization operates a thrift store in Altoona and two food pantries — one in Altoona and another in east Des Moines. Other resources offered at Caring Hands include job training and financial assistance for eastern Polk County residents in need.

Rowland and Gronert said they believe collaborating with Caring Hands embodies the true mission of the original book sale: bringing people together.

Phil Simmons, the organization's director of community development, agreed.

"That's a super powerful driver of empathy and just a healthier community as a whole, and I think that this is an opportunity for one," he said.

Simmons said the newest book sale embraces that shared sentiment as he and his team seek to "spread the love" and bring other community organizations into the event.

Simmons and his colleagues are working with the Des Moines Area Religious Council, area YMCAs and churches to carve out more drop-off sites for donations, he said. The former book sale had only one central location for donations — a pink warehouse on Clark Street, which was acquired by the city of Des Moines last year for a major renovation project.

Simmons said the revenue generated from Iowa's Biggest Book Sale will be used to further expand Caring Hands' services and reach more individuals in need. Last year, Simmons said, the organization spent four times its budget for supplemental nutritious food to help its clients.

"Hopefully, the sale will be successful and financially that would help us serve more people," he said, "but we really see this as something that can benefit a lot more than just us."

Why did Planned Parenthood end its bi-annual book sale?

Planned Parenthood North Central States announced last year it was ending its bi-annual book sale, closing a chapter on a 61-year tradition. Officials said part of the reason was the city of Des Moines sought to acquire the warehouse on Clark Street, where the books are stored, to move forward with a major renovation project. The other reason, they said, was the revenue generated from the sale could not outpace the costs of holding the twice-yearly event.

The goal of the book sale is to fund the regional agency's sex education programs in Iowa, but that became tougher to meet each year with costs going up, Sheena Dooley, communications manager for Planned Parenthood North Central States, previously told the Des Moines Register.

Though the event brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, officials have told the Register that money also covered the costs of maintaining the warehouse, transporting items to the Iowa State Fairgrounds, renting the site that holds the sale and promoting it. That left the agency only $50,000 to support its sex education programs, Dooley said.

The news of the sale's end came just two weeks before the October sale, leaving volunteers such as Rowland and Gronert shocked and devastated.

"I was sick to my stomach," said Gronert, who spent 20 years sorting through donated items and prepping them for the sale. "I couldn't believe that this was going to be happening because (the sale) does so much good for the community."

With Iowa's Biggest Book Sale, Gronert and Simmons said they hope to bring that joy back.

Simmons said Caring Hands already has more than 250 volunteers and expects at least 100 to 120 more from the original book sale — "which is completely wild."

"But I think it's going to be a really, really good time," he said, laughing.

F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter @writefelissa.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ex-Planned Parenthood volunteers team up for Iowa's Biggest Book Sale