Assistance League donates 900-plus books to Open House Ministries shelter

Esther Short — Open House Ministries received more than 900 books Feb. 24 courtesy of the Assistance League of Southwest Washington’s League of Literacy Drive. Residents of the Open House Ministries family shelter will have new books for all ages in the “book nooks” located on each floor of the building, which they can read at the shelter, borrow or keep as they move into stable housing. The Assistance League is an all-volunteer group with no physical location, so the nonprofit teamed up with three businesses to provide drop-off sites: Lily Atelier in Camas, and Advisicon and Kazoodles in Vancouver. “We’re overwhelmed by the community support,” Nancy Gaston, who chaired the effort for Assistance League, said in a release from the organization. “Our goal was 500 books, and we’re doubling that.”