Over one thousand books arrived for the Book & Glow Go-Bags! No doubt, a thousand more would have poured in had we not tried to keep the project manageable. The books are like the miraculous fishes and loaves that God continues to use to bring joy to children and youth in western North Carolina.

So, what is the story behind the Book & Glow Go-Bags?

Essentially, I thought small. But God thought BIG.

Hurricane Helene Hits Home

Hurricane Helene arrived in North Carolina early in the morning on September 27, 2024, causing massive destruction and 102 deaths.

I live in western North Carolina. Our area was hit hard. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the current data states, “at least 34 new flood records were set across the southeast from flooding caused by Helene. Eighteen of the provisional records were set in North Carolina.”

Our daughter, Emily, and her family live in the Swannanoa Valley in Black Mountain. Some have labeled this valley as the “ground zero” for Hurricane Helene. The valley stretches about four and a half miles between Black Mountain and Asheville. The Asheville Watchdog reported that the water level of the Swannanoa River peaked at 27.33 feet. Four days earlier, it was flowing at 1.44 feet.

As Emily shared with us about the devastation and the stress families were experiencing, my heart grew heavy. It was mind-boggling trying to grasp how the adults were coping. Then, I thought about my two grandsons, ages 3 and 6. Even though their home and lives were spared, the upheaval after the hurricane left them sad and unsettled. I couldn’t fathom how much other children were suffering—especially those experiencing greater tragedies and were living in far worse conditions.

The Idea of Sending Books

After pondering and praying for a week after the hurricane, I had an idea. As a freelance writer, I have befriended numerous writers and book authors. I knew our love for children and for books could be coupled with our desire to help western North Carolina.

At first, I sent a single email to the Write2Ignite leadership team. Write2Ignite is a nonprofit organization I help with that serves Christian writers of children’s and young adult literature. I invited them to send me books to take to the children living in the Black Mountain and Swannanoa areas.

Then, I thought it made sense to mention this project to my other friends, whether they were writers or not. Compassionate people were looking for ways to help.

My criteria for the books was that the content did not necessarily have to be faith-based but could not contradict any part of the Bible. I did not want anything scary or violent. And the books needed to be new or look new.

I didn’t have in my mind a definite number of books I wanted to receive. I thought I might get around 75 to 100. However, within a week, I realized I needed to set my book collection time just for October to keep this project from overrunning my house, garage, and barn!

Also, I had to limit with whom I shared information for safety reasons. Instead of sharing with an unknown, wide public audience, I chose just to connect with friends on Facebook. To deter any scammers, I did not request financial donations. If people offered to send money or wanted a mailing address, I private messaged them, letting them know I would email them the needed information.

A friend, Jennifer Barnes, saw the post and sent me a message saying she wanted to send books. She also mentioned she’d be out of town for a week, attending the Florida Christian Writers Conference. I told her she could extend an invitation there for people to donate books that met the criteria. She eagerly volunteered to gather and transport the books from Florida to North Carolina. Later, she and her husband would help with the Go-Bags assembly and distribution.

Adding the Glow to the Go-Bags

Numerous people contacted me to ask how they could contribute to the project. I realized it would be a good idea to name the project. Before any disaster relief distribution centers were organized, my daughter mentioned the children would enjoy flashlights and glow sticks. I thought those would be easy to add, so I dubbed the project “Book & Glow Go-Bags.”

I ordered 200 mini flashlights. When they arrived, I thought they were cute, but I would not be able to use them in the bags for the youngest children due to the button cell batteries (which were not mentioned in the online ad). Initially, I thought I would not even need 200 anyway and would probably return half of them!

I didn’t need to worry about the tiny flashlights because folks donated glow sticks and all kinds of flashlights. My favorite flashlights for giving the youngest kids came from a gentleman in Florida. He had heard about the project from his neighbor, who attended the Florida Christian Writers Conference. He generously sent 288 flat, magnetic Smashlights. They were safe and easy for little hands to use. Plus, they had a Bible verse printed on them. How cool is that?

Donations Overflow

If I begin to list all the people who sent donations, I may overlook someone, so I’ll not do that here. But, I do plan to write thank you notes to as many donors as I have addresses for. Hundreds of books arrived on my doorstep from Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, and more. Most were from book authors, but books also came from other caring folks.

After touching base with Jennifer while she was at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, we realized God had something much bigger than we had imagined in mind. Our combined collection of books was teetering over one thousand!

Financial donations also came my way. Early in October, I used a portion of that money to buy Bibles and about thirty more books—this was before I knew the blessing gates would open wide and book donations would flow in abundance! In addition, the money was used to purchase flashlights, gallon and two-gallon plastic storage bags, and gloves.

During the last two weeks of October, two churches offered boxes of gloves and hats they had left over from distribution events. I thought a beanie hat or a pair of gloves would be nice additions to the bags.

I’m so thankful for all of the compassionate people who donated books, gloves, hats, plastic storage bags, flashlights, glow sticks, and money. And, for those who gave of their time.

This Book Belongs to ___________

As the piles of donations grew in my dining room and garage, most of my time was spent reviewing the books, checking for appropriate content, and ensuring the books were in good condition. Then, I would sort them into boxes: Babies/Toddlers, Picture Books, Books for Grades 1-3, Books for Grades 4 – 8, and Bibles for All Ages. Later, we added a small box of Books for Parents.

I intentionally left out books for high schoolers and up for two reasons. One, we initially thought we’d only see the younger kids. And two, I did not have the time to review the lengthier books for teens. I did not want to chance taking books with questionable content.

Food storage bags were chosen for the Go-Bags because they would keep the books and other contents clean and dry and easily display their colorful contents. Plus, I thought the bag might be repurposed if needed. Most of the contents fit inside gallon Ziploc bags, but we used two-gallon bags for some of the larger books.

Each bag would have a colorful sticker and a label. I found 8.5 x 11 neon green adhesive sheets at a little craft store for only ten cents each. I thought creating labels from those stating “This Book & Glow Go-Bag Belongs to __________” might be a small way to encourage a child.

Due to the hurricane, all of the children in the Swannanoa Valley sensed a deficit in the normalcy that once belonged to them. Too many children suffered even greater losses.

I prayed that God would use the books to offer encouragement and hope in the valley.

Assembling the Book & Glow Go-Bags

After bagging the first few hundred books by myself, I was so thankful volunteers were heading my way to help with the rest!

My sister and her son, my friend Jennifer, and her husband came on the Friday before the book giveaway to help assemble and pack the bags in vehicles. It was an unusually warm day for late October—almost 80 degrees. So, fans blew over the assembly line we set up inside our rustic barn.

We spent several hours packing the bags. While we were doing that, my sweet hubby was at the house pulling BBQ meat he had smoked on the grill the night before. We wanted to serve our volunteers lunch that day.

It’s a good thing he grilled the night before. After almost four weeks of dry, warm weather following the hurricane, a sudden windy rain shower blew in while we were packing the book bags. We kept scooting the tables of books further into the barn’s interior to avoid getting wet.

We didn’t get all the bags packed that night, but we got most of them. Since more supplies were expected to trickle in, I’d finish the rest in the days ahead. But I was so grateful for all of the helping hands!

After my husband prayed over the bags and for the children who would receive them, he blessed the meal. We enjoyed a time of sweet fellowship before everyone headed home.

Jennifer and her husband would make their 2 ½ hour return trip home to South Carolina with a vehicle full of Book & Glow Go-Bags. A week later, they would drive even further to Black Mountain to meet me with my vehicle, also packed to the max.

Having a Contact Person is Crucial

Disaster relief distribution sites welcomed material donations the first few weeks after Hurricane Helene. But they quickly ran out of storage room.

While supplies are appreciated, many places must now turn donations away until their supplies thin out. It’s simply a matter of space.

Early in my endeavor, I told my daughter I needed to connect with someone in Black Mountain who would know the best way for me to hand out the Book & Glow Go-Bags to children.

She said, “I know just the person.” She connected me to one of her friends, Rachael Sylvestre, a teacher at my grandson’s preschool.

Rachael Sylvestre

We give all the glory to God, but He sure used Rachael as a key element in the success of the book giveaway.

After the hurricane, she noticed a lack of items for children when donations for disaster relief began. Understandably, the necessities such as water and food took precedence. Still, Rachael decided to create a space for children at one of the distribution sites. She gathered supplies and other like-minded volunteers and began the “Kids’ Corner.”

The Kids’ Corner provided children with a time for stories, crafts, toys, and food for several hours daily, Monday through Friday. It allowed their parents time to catch their breath, enjoy a meal, or gather supplies. What a blessing for weary families!

Most days, the Kids’ Corner entertained an average of fifteen kids, sometimes more, and usually ages 3 to 12 years old.

Rachael and I first connected when she was coordinating these daily activities. She’s an amazing person who delights in serving her Lord and Savior and has a gift for bonding with children.

She was pondering about a time when I could come and distribute the books. Then, some of the local schools started back. The Kids’ Corner would no longer be needed as it had been functioning.

At first, I thought I had missed the window of getting the books to a group of kids in one location—the 15 kids at Rachael’s Kids’ Corner. But God had something bigger in mind.

Halloween was approaching, and the Town of Black Mountain Parks and Recreation Department planned to host an event they thought the children would enjoy and would give back a little bit of their traditional fun. Rachael put in a request for us to set up our book giveaway at the event at Town Square. We celebrated when we received the approval!

Rachael had received some financial donations for the Kids’ Corner and felt led to buy Bibles and Bible-based storybooks to give away. She planned to set up a table next to mine, which made me feel more confident having a beloved local by my side.

Rachael has many endearing stories of how children gravitated to those Bibles that night. One was when she overheard a little girl looking through the books at my table, asking me if I had a book in Spanish. She was trying to learn the language. I only had one book written in Spanish, and it had already been picked up. Rachael offered her an English/Spanish Bible storybook from her table. The little girl was thrilled!

Also, out of the forty-five Bibles Rachael brought, she only had one left at the night’s end. God has blessed many families through Rachael, and He has blessed me with a new friend.

Thanking the Police

It takes a lot of work to unload a thousand books. Thankfully, Jennifer’s husband had a hand truck and a strong back!

During our setup, I stopped by the tent where the Black Mountain police planned to hand out candy. Trying to hold back the tears, I told them my daughter and her family lived in Black Mountain and that she had told me how helpful they were, especially during those frightening first days after the hurricane. I expressed my appreciation for how well they handled an extremely unusual and difficult situation. When the dam holding my tears began to clog my words, we just nodded knowingly to one another.

Yet, I can’t fully understand the magnitude of what they have gone through. And they can’t fully understand the deep gratitude in this mama’s heart.

Stories Around Our Book Table

Finally, we finished setting up and were ready for the children to arrive. And arrive they did—by the hundreds!

We displayed approximately 20-30 books in each category basket on the table. As the children selected their books, we replenished the baskets with more books from oodles of cardboard boxes on the ground behind us.

My ability to locate a certain book among the hundreds in the boxes made me giggle. As children approached the table, I’d ask them what things they liked to read about or enjoyed doing. If a child said, “I like to build things.” As I scanned through a basket, I’d tell them to hold on a second. With unusual quickness, I discovered a book about construction.

One child asked if I had any pop-up books. I told him I did not, but I remembered seeing a lift-the-flap book when packing the bags. When he said he was interested in the book, I opened one of the many cardboard boxes labeled “Books for Babies/Toddlers.” Within a few minutes, I “found” it and handed it to the happy child.

I consider these God moments because we had packed those books a week prior and put them in numerous boxes. I had no idea what books were in which box. On normal days, I can’t remember where I put anything! But, that night, time after time, I was able to locate books that matched kids’ interests. And, the day after the event, my normal fog-brain was back.

It was a delight watching children’s faces light up when they learned they could pick any book they wanted and that flashlights and winter items were in the bags for them as well. One parent told me all the toys and candy his kids had received at the event were great, but his children really needed good books. He was most appreciative.

The children and their parents were a delight to talk with. Many of the parents looked tired. We knew it wasn’t just from one night of taking the kids through town to gather goodies. As I was helping the children select books, my friend Jennifer had an opportunity to speak more with the adults. She offered them encouragement and a devotional book to read later. We also had several fleece blankets, new socks, and extra batteries for parents to pick up if they wanted. All of these extra items were gone by the end of the night.

Books Set Aside

More than a few kids came through the line, who I could tell were not fans of reading. At first, they seemed uninterested in choosing a book. But, I learned quickly which books to pull out for those kids. A friend of mine who is a publicist had donated several copies of “Weird but True” books containing entertaining and educational snippets of information and chock full of colorful photos. Oh, my! The “reluctant readers” in the crowd thought those books were cool and eagerly took them. I always tried to keep one within reach for those moments when a “reluctant” wandered over.

We had one box of books that were too large to fit inside plastic bags. We thought we’d use those as our backup books and pull them out at the end if needed. But, occasionally, for some odd reason, I’d go over to that box, pull a book out, and place it under the table.

Throughout the night, occasions arose when I’d tell a child, “I think I have just the book for you. I’ve been holding it under the table for just the right person.” And the child’s face beamed when they saw the book I handed them. I can’t remember what all of those books were about, except one had a little red steering wheel on the outside of the book for the child to “drive.” Another book made sounds when the child pressed illustrations.

These extraordinary moments brought me great joy because I got to watch God at work. They were clearly not a result of something I was doing but rather what He was doing. I just had the blessing of a front-row seat.

I want to share another amazing story, but it is still unfolding. Plus, this post is long enough already! I’ll write about it later.

I hope you ponder and pray about ways you can help people—in any situation. Don’t dismiss every idea just because it seems too small. If God is in it, He will do wonders.

Have you recently had a front-row seat to watch Him work?

Motivated by the power of story, history, and His Story, Sally Matheny’s passion is telling the next generation wondrous things.

Her nonfiction writing appears in worldwide, national, and regional publications including Appleseeds, Clubhouse Jr., Homeschooling Today, and The Old Schoolhouse.

She and her husband live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and are blessed with three children, two sons-in-law, and armfuls of grandbabies. Connect with Sally on several social media sites, but her favorite hangouts are at SallyMatheny.com and Pinterest.