Binc Extends Bookseller Assistance to Include Utility Shut-Off Prevention

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) has extended its reach to provide utility shut-off prevention to bookstore employees facing personal financial hardship.

Utility shut-off prevention has been added as a qualifying event category for assistance in Binc’s grant program, and it may be provided to a bookstore employee in personal financial hardship when a shut-off notice is issued and an essential utility (gas, heating oil, or electric) is to be turned off. For more information, visit the financial assistance page of Binc’s website.

Binc was founded in 1996 as the Borders Group Foundation, which provided assistance to bookstore employees in financial need due to unexpected hardship or emergency. The organization extended its reach to former Borders employees upon its closing in 2011, and now partners with the ABA to offer assistance to independent bookstore employees.

Since its inception, Binc has helped 6,500 families with more than $5 million in emergency financial grants and higher education scholarships.