Tomes in the hundreds lay out in an Oak Bay church waiting to raise funds for local charities.
Churchmouse Books offers an opportunity to give the gift of literacy, and philanthropy with its annual sale Dec. 2.
In addition to the hundreds of quality used books on the shelves, the pews of St. Mary’s will be filled with hundreds more in a variety of popular categories.
The event includes live music, hot spiced apple juice and crafts for sale. Proceeds support the work of church charity partners The Food Bank at St. John the Divine, Threshold Housing Society and Our Place.
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Charities across the province report feeling the pinch as a need for aid rises, with lower donations coming in as more people struggle to make ends meet.
Nationally, food bank visits this March were at an unprecedented level, according to Hunger Count 2023, a Food Banks Canada annual report. According to the count, in March there were more than 1.9 million visits to food banks across the nation, a 32-per-cent increase from record-setting 2022.
B.C. recorded 195,925 visits, a 20-per-cent increase over last year and a 57-per-cent increase since 2019.
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