AAUW State College postpones annual book sale due to COVID-19 concerns
One of the largest used book sales in Pennsylvania was postponed Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The American Association of University Women of State College hopes to delay its annual fundraiser from May until the fall, sale Chair Dina Liberatore said. A new date was not announced.
“We’re certainly disappointed that we’re not at a place yet where we can have the sale in May,” Liberatore said. “But, obviously, the safety and health of the people who come to the sale and our volunteers is a concern for us. We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to have a sale in the fall.”
It’s the second consecutive year the nonprofit scrapped its plans to have a sale in May. The organization canceled its 2020 event because of COVID-19.
Thousands of visitors traditionally flock each May to Happy Valley to purchase up to a quarter of a million books and materials. The four-day event began in 1962.
The used book sale typically raises about $150,000. The money funds grants for other nonprofits and scholarships for women who are undergraduate students residing in Centre County.
The group is not collecting books as of Wednesday. Liberatore hopes that will change by the summer.
“We’ve certainly had to rethink our primary fundraiser and the way that we do things,” Liberatore said. “We’ve had to find new ways to do things and how to keep it a community event.”