By the time were done, books were ready to go to the Nanwalek Teen Center, Recovery House, Clinic, and Head Start Program. We next loaded them into our truck, with a few additional boxes. Our limit was 10 boxes, 30 pounds each, so we determined that we’d send the three additional boxes media rate.
We left the Meeting House, stopping by the distribution sites, so that I could put a few more books on the shelves.
It was a quiet ride to Ravn Air, which is located on the far side of Anchorage. The last time, the drop off place was Northern Air Cargo. There wasn’t too much difference between the two places – plexiglass separates the shippers from the shipees. And in both instances, warehouses adjoin the desk areas.
The staff at Ravn Air were as congenial as the staff at Northern Air Cargo. And they too remained focused on the task at hand, which was to make sure that the requisite paperwork was in order.
As the clerk, Richard, was typing away on his computer, a woman came in from the warehouse area and announced that our load weighed 301 pounds. Wow. We were just one pound over our limit. Pretty good, considering that we didn’t weigh any of the boxes.
Pete and I left Ravn Air feeling a sense of accomplishment, for we’d done what we set out to do, which was to get books that otherwise would have been shredded, into the hands of those who would most appreciate them.
In my head I stepped back in time. Not so very long ago, I hadn’t a clue as to how I’d connect with anyone in the villages, much less get books to them. Now we have done it.
I’d like to send more books out. This is going to be dependent upon what books we get in. There are now a lot of textbooks on the shelves at the Meeting House. No hurry, but I will feel even more of a sense of accomplishment when these books meet up with their rightful new owners.
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