Meet Peg, Featured Volunteer for March 2026!

Peg is part of a small group of volunteers who come in on Mondays to prepare the shelves for a busy week of volunteer sessions!

What got you interested in BTP to begin with, or what made you start volunteering? Does it tie in to the rest of your life in any meaningful way?

I had been following BTP for years after doing a search online for non-profits that have a mission for promoting education and literacy, and helping those in need. I supported BTP from afar by reading their blog posts and giving donations, but didn’t have the time to volunteer until last year. After I left my last job, and decided to do a no-work sabbatical for one year, I started volunteering at BTP. I’m so glad I did because it has enriched me in many ways. I reached the end of my one-year sabbatical this March, but am going to continue to volunteer at BTP, whether I rejoin the job world or not.

Is there anything you especially like about volunteering with us? What are your favorite parts of the process?

I started out volunteering as a reader and letter responder for three months, then moved on to being a wrapper getting books ready to mail, then progressed to helping Kris (BTP’s Board Secretary and organizer extraordinaire) with sorting book donations and shelving them. I’m part of a small but mighty team that comes in on Mondays to help Kris with turning what I call the “coolest used bookstore with an exclusive clientele” from half-empty shelves to fully stocked once again. I have also taken on organizing the magazine shelves. Some would say it’s a Sisyphean task to do this work, but once I started doing it, it gave me a great feeling of satisfaction each time. I love seeing the shelves get full again from our efforts and like knowing that other volunteers will have an excellent selection of books and magazines to choose from when they answer letters. 

Everybody starts off by responding to letters, even if they eventually move on to wrapping or other tasks. Some of the letters can be memorable. Are there any requests that surprised you, or that you remember standing out in any way?

Most of the letters are pretty straightforward, but I am always touched by the ones that ask for specific books so politely and that give thanks to me and all of BTP's volunteers for the work that we do. Some of them share what they are dealing with—solitary confinement, a library that just closed, stress from having their TV privileges taken away, etc.—and how reading books help them. The humbleness, earnestness, and grace that comes through these letters is heartwarming to me every time.

In the time that you’ve been here, do you think that your views on the prison system, or what it’s like to be incarcerated, have changed?

My views have changed from viewing prisons as “a necessary evil” to realizing that they are inhumane and need to be replaced with comprehensive social service systems that actually work. I had been headed down that road already, but volunteering at BTP helped solidify that stance for me. Keeping people who have done wrongs locked up doesn’t do anyone any good. It doesn’t help the perpetrator to rehabilitate and made amends. It doesn’t help the victim to heal. It doesn’t help society as a whole. And don’t get me started on how private prisons are profiting from more and more people being incarcerated.

Do you have any book recommendations for us? Is there anything you especially like to read in your spare time?

I’ve been on a real non-fiction kick lately and am currently reading and enjoying “Wild at Home: How to Style and Care for Beautiful Plants” by Hilton Carter, “Mind Body Spirit Food: Adaptable Recipes and Grounding Meditations for Preparing Meals with Joy and Intention” by Nicki Sizemore, and “No Worries: How to Live a Stress-Free Financial Life” by Jared Dillian.

Are there any other parting words that you’d like to share with whoever is reading this?

Imagine being locked in a small, concrete room most hours of your day. Imagine having all your possessions taken away. Imagine being away from your friends, family, and animal friends. Imagine not having access to almost everything you enjoyed in life. Imagine having the weight of the wrongs you’ve committed press down on you every day. Now, imagine not having access to a variety of books so you can’t learn, be entertained, or wile away the many hours of your confinement in some positive way. I am grateful to not be in this kind of situation. I am grateful to have my freedom. Every time I respond to a letter, wrap a package, or shelve books at BTP, I am reminded of this. If reading this makes an impression on you and you want to help, please consider volunteering for BTP or giving a donation. Every little bit helps and every single effort matters.