Binc’s Bookseller Stories: “The Unplanned Funeral”

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) sent out the ninth volume of its Bookseller Stories newsletter on February 24. The nonprofit organization launched this monthly series so donors could see the life-saving and life-changing impact they have on the lives of booksellers every day. In each story, booksellers give their account of how Binc helped them recover from a financial emergency. Binc provides financial assistance to booksellers experiencing an emergency or hardship caused by illness, natural disasters, and more. Read the ninth volume of Bookseller Stories here:

“The Unplanned Funeral” (Bookseller Stories, vol. 9 / / February ’20) 

When a loved one passes away, it’s a hard time for a family no matter the circumstances. And when their loved one’s death was unplanned, it can fall hard on the grieving family when the funeral expenses create hardship. When savings are limited, this unexpected and often large expense creates a further burden on a family who is trying to process their sadness and grief.

While funeral related requests are a small percentage of those we receive at Binc, they can be some of the most emotional. You help these booksellers and their families so they can focus on their emotional well-being and healing from their loss instead of the financial burden of burial.

You’ve helped three booksellers through this most difficult of circumstances in the past few weeks.

A bookseller needed to travel across the country to help support their family after the sudden and tragic loss of a parent. You enabled this bookseller to take time off work to help their family through this tragedy, which was a critical part of the healing process. You made sure this emotional tragedy didn’t turn into a financial burden as well.

Another bookseller spent many months battling illness while trying to maintain a normal life for their family. When the bookseller passed away, you helped their spouse pay for the funeral. This gave the family the ability to begin the grieving process without the burden of financial debt.

You also helped a bookseller whose sibling passed away suddenly. Without your help, the bookseller would not have been able to travel to another state to settle the affairs and properly bury their sibling.

“My late husband was an employee at an independent bookstore. The [health] insurance provided was great, once the high deductibles were met. The store referred us to Binc to help with various costs. The staff members at Binc were so nice and so responsive. Not only did they help with funeral costs, but they also helped with other bills . . . I can’t say enough good things about the concern they showed while he lived through his ordeal with cancer and after he passed.” —A Bookseller You Helped

Visit the Binc website to make a donation, and read the other Bookseller Stories newsletters here. Additional bookseller testimonials can be found on the Great Nonprofits review website.