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Dozens of people gathered Saturday morning at First Mennonite Church for the annual Manitoba Library Association, Prison Library Committee Book and Bake Sale.
It was co-hosted by Bar None, a prison abolitionist organization that organizes a rideshare program for the loved ones of those incarcerated.
"The Prison Libraries Committee (PLC) of the Manitoba Library Association (MLA) is a volunteer group that provides collections, programming and library awareness for people who are incarcerated in Manitoba," as stated on their website.
The book and bake sale were held to raise funds to provide access to books and other related services to those incarcerated.
"We realized that there are no real libraries- what the public would consider real libraries in provincial prisons," said Kirsten, the program director for the MLAPLC.
Kirsten continued, "We know how important books are to our lives, and we want to make sure that folks who are incarcerated have books but also library services and programming."
The book and bake sale followed a "pay-what-you-want" model, aiming to minimize costs and offer support to attendees.
Volunteers discussed their various reasons for participating in the bake sale and the MLAPLC.
"I am a writer and a reader. Literacy is really important to me as access to information and also imagination and self-expression", said Anna, the volunteer communications coordinator for the MLAPLC.
The bake and book sale was about the importance of ensuring incarcerated people have the access to literacy and education that they need.