This year our annual Books, Beans, and Brownies couldn’t happen as usual, so Rev. Carol McKinley called together a group of interested folks to envision an alternative. Mo Canny arrived with a brilliant plan, joined by Susan Dodson and Susan’s prior experience selling online. We’d take the book sale online this year!

The challenge was to re-imagine the Books, Brownies & Beans sale during a global pandemic. A gazillion tweaks later, this high-contact, high-hug, event emerged reinvented as a no-contact online sale. The impossible became possible through the imagination and hard work of a team of mighty masked members and friends of OUUC. There were lots of books sold, lots of love invested, and lots of money raised for the homeless.

Here’s a special shout-out to Julie Edwards (the Dodsons’ daughter) who donated countless hours of computer programming to adapt our online site for its unique mission. Thank you Julie!

Cheers to our Core Team who lugged, photographed, processed, tagged and packaged never-ending stacks of books:
Helen and Hank Henry
Susan Southwick
Maggie Post & John Eliasson
Ann & Roger Nielsen
Betsy Minkoff
Mary Wildenhaus
John Rapano
Cheryl Hanks & Selden Hall
Kathy O’Connor
Susan Dodson
Mo & Kent Canny
Trink Newman
Harmon Eaton
Pat Sonnenstuhl
and
Martha Guilfoyle-our communications/marketing guru!

And kudos to these folks who also pitched in to get books to buyers and keep everyone happy:
Jerald Dodson
Carol Williams & Glen Hubbard
Julie Rosmond
Anne Kohlbry
Linda Crabtree
Chris Parke & Steve Tilley
Eric Ness
Karen & Jack Jackson
Sally Jones
Brian Walsh
Otto Buls
Alice Curtis

Hats off (but masks on!) to our tireless volunteers, to the OUUC staff and committee members, to all the busy shoppers, and to our many generous donors of time, books, bags and resources. Much gratitude to all!