Gigantic used book sale is Feb. 16-17

(Phoenix, Arizona) The VNSA announces the 57^th Annual Used Book Sale will be held on the third weekend in February (February 16 & 17, 2013). The sale hours on Saturday will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The VNSA Book Sale is held .at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in the Exhibit Building at 1826 West McDowell Road, Phoenix, Arizona  85007. Shoppers should enter from the 17^th Avenue and McDowell Road entrance.

Teri Harnisch, VNSA President said” The VNSA Used Book Sale has a strong tradition of community support, and those loyal shoppers may be expecting the sale to be the second weekend in February. Our volunteer publicity team has been working year-round to get out the word that the 2013 and 2014 Book Sales will be the third weekend of February. We hope our loyal supporters will follow.”

This is one of the largest 2-day used book sales in the nation. Fourteen thousand people came from all over the country last year and more than $350,000 was raised for nonprofit human service agencies right here in Maricopa County. Since 1957, VNSA has raised over $6.5 million to benefit local nonprofit service agencies.

Over 500,000 gently used hardback (75%), paperback (25%), CDs. DVDs, books on tape, puzzles and games are sold. Books are arranged into 27 different categories and hundreds of subcategories. The average price of a book is between $1 to $5. All books are half price on Sunday except for those in the Rare and Unusual section. Admission is free to the sale; however the Fairgrounds charges for parking.

Book sale proceeds benefit valley human service agencies, with the main agencies being the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation (AFFCF) and Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County (LVMC). The AFFCF is the only statewide nonprofit organization that provides funds for activities and educational grants to foster children. Arizona has approximately 14,000 children in foster care.

The LVMC teaches individuals age 16 and older to read, write and speak English. This organization helps adults increase skills for job advancement and prepare for their General Educational Diploma. Currently, the population of Maricopa County is 2.8 million people. Estimates are that there are more than 500,000 adults in Maricopa County who are “functionally illiterate.”