This is information for US Peace Corps volunteers only.

To request a shipment, you must write a letter (either by standard mail or by email), telling us about your work, your students (if you are a teacher) and how you will use the books.   If you are using email, put your letter in the body of an email, not as an attachment to Peggy Minnis at BookAid@aol.com.  After your introductory paragraphs, include the answers to the following questions:

  1. your COS date,
  2. the ages of your reading audiences,
  3. the US grade equivalent of your reading audience (e.g., reading at grade levels 1-7),
  4. the types of books that would be most useful (e.g., kiddie lit, preschool, environmental, high school math)
  5. your mailing address, in English. If you have a problem getting mail in English, mention it here and include the graphic of your address in the language used in your mail system as an attachment (perhaps a .jpg).  AOL often messes up foreign characters.

If you do not get an email reply from BookAid@aol.com within a day of sending yours, resend the email at your earliest next opportunity.  When I receive your email, I will send you an acknowledgement and tell you that I will email you when the books are shipped.  Your box will be stamped that there is no value and contains used books, so you should not incur customs fees.  You should then be on the lookout for a delivery.  

We vary our shipping method to get the best shipping rates.  Shipments can take three to six  months (or more) to get to your site.  Shipments to US Zip-coded Pacific Islands (FSM) go via the US Postal Service's Media Mail.  

As a guide in remembering what kinds of books are normally available in US libraries and schools, a category list can be consulted.  Remember that Book Aid normally sends about 20 pounds of books, so think about the weight of the books you are requesting.  Don't send a long list that would require 150 pounds of books to fill.  Set your priorities.  If you absolutely need a class set of a book, tell us the genre you want; we seldom can supply an exact title.  We can't send an print encyclopedia anymore, unless you are in the Federated States of Micronesia.  Instead, we can offer you encyclopedias on CD ROM.
For a brief video of what Book Aid looks like, click here. 

If you want teachers at your school to request the books themselves, have them email Mrs. Kitty Graves at KGraves41@gmail.com

If you use regular mail, send your letter to
Peggy Minnis
Peace Corps Desk
Darien Book Aid Plan, Inc.
1926 Post Road
Darien, CT 06820 USA

That is also where you can send your thank-you letter.