Behind the Scenes with Outreach: Mailbox Books

Submitted by Jeanine Thompson

What a joy it is to be able to serve the underserved of Forsyth County! 

One sector of the population that is often overlooked is the homebound. Outreach helps the citizens of Forsyth County who are homebound by sending books to them in the mail. We call this our "Mailbox Books" program. 

To be eligible for this program, a patron would need to have a disability or medical condition that prevents them from safely visiting the library. There is a form on our website that they can submit, or they can just call us and we will sign them up over the phone. We always try to get an emergency contact just in case we cannot get in touch with the patron. 

We always give them a phone call to establish their reading preferences, verify their address, and just to get to know them! Our patrons have led interesting lives! For example, one lady's grandfather came to America in the early 1900s, and her grandmother spoke seven languages. She is a lovely Jewish lady, and she has quite the story to tell about what her family went through before and after coming to America. She sings the praises of our Mailbox Books program, and always sends a note of gratitude for our services.  

Another one of our patrons found out that I was doing a gardening program for Outreach and sent some heirloom seeds in the mail bag with her books. This patron also wrote a note that said that we are a "light in her life." 

We constantly receive positive comments from our mailbox books patrons, whether in written form or verbally stated over the phone. They are always happy to get a phone call from us. We call about once a month to check on them, make sure their books were delivered, and just to connect with them. Many only get out of the home to go to doctor visits, so we try to encourage them with our calls. So many of our homebound patrons have said that we are the only people they talk to all day. Several told me that they did not have plans for the holidays, so a card was sent with the books to let them know we were thinking of them. We also try to keep up with birthdays. An encouraging, hand written note is sent with every shipment. 

We were so happy that Ms. Myrtie went to live at one of the assisted living homes that we visit, so we got to meet her in person. Now we take books to her every month when we do the Golden Hour at Oaks at Gracemont! The relationship continues. 

We send the books in canvas bags with a postage paid return label. Unfortunately, the mail delivery has not been dependable lately, so some have been able to arrange for family to come by the branches to pick up and return the books. Thank you all so much for your help with this! We greatly appreciate your efforts!