This is information for US Peace Corps volunteers only.
Darien Book Aid can send you a package of books to assist you in your work.  There is no cost to you.  The packages are marked "Used Books, No Value." 

To request a shipment, you must write a letter (either by standard mail or by email), telling me 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).  We are currently sending about 15 pound boxes, so think carefully when you request a heavy textbook.
  5. your mailing address, in English. If we must use non-Roman letters in your address, please make two sets - one in English and one in your country's alphabet. We are using Meest to send to certain countries.  If you are in one of these countries, we also need a street address, since they will not ship to post office boxes.  Here are those countries:  Ukraine, Moldova.  We are always trying to optimize shipping time versus costs.
  6. your phone number, especially if you are in those counties just listed.  Meest calls you before delivering.

If you do not get an email reply from BookAid@aol.com within a day of emailing your request, 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.  You should then be on the lookout for a delivery.  

Most of our shipments go via the Brokers Worldwide, the US Postal System or Meest.  The packages sent via Meest are personally delivered after a confirmation telephone call to you. Your box will be stamped that there is no value and contains used books, so you should not incur customs fees.   The packages sent via USPS Media Mail to the US Zip-coded Pacific Islands (FSM) probably show up via canoe.  

As a guide in remembering what kinds of books are normally available in US libraries and schools, a category list can be consulted.  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.


You may wish to consult Project Gutenberg, a source of free downloadable books.  You can either read the book online or download it to your computer.  Most of the books are ones that are out of copyright, including most of the classics of literature.  There are also books available in languages other than English.  Please let me know if that site proves to be useful to you. http://www.gutenberg.org/ 

If you require a large shipment of books and have a Rotary Club in your region and some financial support, Books for International Goodwill (B.I.G.) in Annapolis, MD sends containers of 20,000 books via ocean freight.  Steve Frantzich of the USNA in Annapolis is your contact there.

For a short video a freshman at the Convent of the Sacred Heart created, click here.
For a historical video of Book Aid that I created, click here.
For our latest Newsletter that Jane Minnis created, click here.

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