The Bookseller Relief Fund The American Booksellers Association established the Bookseller Relief Fund in September 2005 to help meet the humanitarian needs of booksellers affected by disasters. The impetus for creation of the fund was the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast. ABA seeded the fund with an initial donation of $25,000, and the association was joined by hundreds of booksellers, publishers, distributors, wholesalers, the regional booksellers associations, and others in the industry who generously contributed to the fund. Among the largest donations were $25,000 contributions from the Southeast Booksellers Association and from Independent Publishers Group and a $10,000 donation from Holtzbrinck Publishers. Many ABA member bookstores supported the fund through the donation of a portion of their store sales during a special one-day relief fund event on October 1, 2005. In 2005, the BRF distributed over $100,000 to booksellers in the Gulf Coast in a two-stage process. In October, Phase One grants of $500 each were distributed to nearly 50 bookstore owners and employees left jobless by the hurricanes. These funds were to meet immediate critical needs, such as food, housing, and transportation. By the end of the year, the second phase of the relief fund effort had distributed $80,000 more to Gulf Coast booksellers most severely affected by Hurricane Katrina. Overseeing the BRF is a Board of Directors composed of past ABA presidents Ann Christophersen, Neal Coonerty, Avin Mark Domnitz, Richard Howorth, J. Rhett Jackson, Joyce Meskis, Dick Noyes, Joan Ripley, Chuck Robinson, and Gail See. Current ABA President Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida serves as chair of the Board. Questions about the BRF should be addressed to ABA's special projects director, David Walker, at [email protected] or (800) 637-0037, ext. 6612. How to Contribute to the Fund Checks should be made payable to the Bookseller Relief Fund and sent to: Bookseller Relief Fund c/o American Booksellers Association 200 White Plains Road Tarrytown, NY 10591 Please write "Bookseller Relief" on the outside of the envelope. Contributions to the fund are tax deductible. A chronological look at stories about the BRF and the hurricanes' effects on booksellers and others in the book industry is available through Bookselling This Week. Topics: About ABA,