The American Booksellers Association is making a special emergency contribution of $5,000 to the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation [5] in support of the organization’s efforts in light of heightened demand for assistance as a result of Hurricane Harvey, which left unprecedented destruction along the Gulf Coast late last month.

In addition to the emergency contribution, ABA is matching all contributions made to Binc [6], up to $5,000, between August 31 and September 15.

In a letter in this week’s issue of BTW [7], ABA CEO Oren Teicher characterized as “inspiring” the response of bookstores, booksellers, and the publishing and wholesaling community to the damages inflicted by Harvey. “The booksellers affected by Harvey are hard at work in helping their communities rebuild; let’s do what we can to support them,” said Teicher.

Hurricane Harvey struck Southeast Texas on August 26, creating a disaster area thousands of square miles wide, and made landfall again in Louisiana on August 30. Since then, booksellers and publishers throughout the country have launched a variety of initiatives to assist victims of the hurricane [8].

Booksellers who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey can contact Binc at (866) 733-9064 or [email protected] [9]. The organization offers several types of assistance for booksellers in need, ranging from temporary lodging, food, and clothing to expenses not covered by insurance.

Book industry members are encouraged to make a donation to Binc now [6] to assist affected booksellers.