The Book Industry Charitable Foundation [Binc] is alerting Colorado booksellers that have been affected by the recent catastrophic flooding in that state that financial assistance is available to them. Binc can provide emergency funds to help anyone employed at a bookstore who has immediate needs when evacuating their home. The nonprofit can also assist booksellers who need funds to repair homes damaged by the flooding and assist any bookseller experiencing short-term financial hardship due to lost income after a bookstore has closed because of the floods.
Any employee of a bricks & mortar store that is a business primarily selling books is eligible for Binc’s assistance.
"We have a whole host of things we can help individual booksellers with,” Pam French, Binc’s executive director, said by phone from her office in Ann Arbor, Mich.
No Colorado booksellers have contacted her yet. Binc is getting the word out to booksellers via the American Booksellers Association, Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association, and through social media (Facebook and Twitter). Binc can be contacted at its toll-free number, (866) 733-9064 or by email at info@bincfoundation.com.
“Typically, we start to field requests after people are able to get back into their homes,” she said, noting that Binc assisted 11 booksellers after Hurricane Sandy who needed financial assistance due to lost income after the bookstores at which they worked closed temporarily.
Kit Steinaway of Binc will attend the Mountains & Plains trade show in Denver October 10-12 and is available to discuss with any Colorado booksellers there how BINC can best help them.
