“What an incredible in-person book fair weekend! Over 2,700 books left our bookshelves in three days! We are so glad so many books found new homes and man, what a successful fundraiser for our charity!”

These are the thoughts expressed by Moni Loewen, Executive Director of Recreation Opportunities for Children in the Eastman region.

The success of the three-day book fair is in part a result of the lifting of Covid restrictions in Manitoba last week. "We have had so much fun over the last three days. Seeing so many people that we haven't seen in a long time. The feeling in here is super happy and excited, and there's energy and warmth."

The 2022 ROC Eastman Bookfair took place in the back of the Swift building in Steinbach. This was initially a concern for Loewen. However, once the book-fair doors opened last Thursday, any fears Loewen may have had were gone. “I am very happy to say that people have found us. Some did a little drive around, but we're so grateful that people put in the energy to find us. They still came, and I think that speaks volumes about their support.”

With the square footage of the space being much smaller in the warehouse room, Loewen says, this gave their volunteers the opportunity to restock the shelves throughout the sale.

“We have been restocking books non-stop, which is the first time we've done this. So, after the first morning, we went, ‘There's still a lot of books!’ (in boxes waiting to be taken out) and so our volunteers have been sorting as fast as they could. We wanted to make sure the shelves looked like there's some selection when shoppers stopped by.”

Loewen says, with this new location, there may be an opportunity to have the bookfair open on a more continual basis. “We don't have to pack up the space. We can keep sorting and filling shelves. As we get more donated books, we can open more shelves. So, we're really, really working towards that.”