Dear Ven. Xianzhong
Amituofo! Just read
this short local article below and thought it might inspire you by knowing that
establishing the prison library programs is so much appreciated and considered
a very worthwhile cause. Although the story does not pertain to dharma
literature, it does show that distributing books in general does make a
profound impact on many lives.
Title: A Book is a
Treat in Prison
"Emerald Oil, a
gas station on the corner of Lake Murray Boulevard and Baltimore Avenue, not
only boasts about having the lowest gas prices in La Mesa, but it also has a
wide variety of free books and magazines!
The owner of Emerald
Oil said that some books were donated by a 'mystery man' about a month ago.
Then, last week, the man showed up and unloaded a truckload of books and
left. He has since shown up with more, leaving them on a table outside
the store and including a 'donations' jar. The only downside is that people are
allowed to take one book per visit.
In this instance, the
books were a present to the community from a man who wanted to do something
good.
The man's name is
Larry and, in a way, he went from zero to a hero. A fit man of about 42,
Larry said he had spent some time in prison for doing drugs. He said that
the prisoners used to fight over books. In prison, a book was Larry's big
treat. After he got out 20 years ago, Larry said he started grabbing as
many books as he could.
When asked about his
dreams, Larry said he wanted to open a thrift store one day and keep supplying
books."
