Lincoln bookstore taking donations for those in need during the government shutdown

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — With the ongoing government shutdown leaving many without access to much-needed resources, one local bookstore is stepping up.

“The only reason they’re not getting this stuff is because the government’s shut down? Why would we be punishing poor people or people with food insecurity?” said Tory Hall, Owner of Sower Books.

Sower Books is accepting donations of food and personal care items to give to the Food Bank of Lincoln and to anyone in need.

They have a large orange bin by the front door, so everyone can drop off or pick up items.

“Rather than sitting around and waiting for them to fix something, it’s like, okay, how do we do something? What can we do in our backyard?” Hall said.

She said some of her employees receive government benefits, so this shutdown hits close to home.

“How do we get the wheels turning to be able to support people when they need it?” She said. “Not a couple of weeks down the line, when suddenly their pantries are empty and they have no paychecks. If we can get ahead of the curve a little bit, then hopefully we can make that cushion a little bit easier.”

On the first day the donation bin was put out, Hall said they received an overwhelming number of items.

So many that the staff had to empty the bin around five to 10 times to make room for more donations.

And they don’t plan on slowing down.

“If the government suddenly opened tomorrow, it’s like ‘okay, wheels are turning again’, we’ll go ahead and continue this food drive until November 21st,” she said. “If November 22nd rolls around and nothing has happened in DC, then we will just continue taking donations and making sure they get in the hands of people who need them.”

Sower Books is taking donations every day — except for Thursdays — from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.