Exercising Mind and Body: BFA Volunteer Superstar Iugoo San

Iugoo San keeps busy! Among cooking, camping, mountain hiking, and reading, the father of two finds time to volunteer at Books For Africa once or twice a week, one of about 10,000 volunteers yearly at BFA.

“I always tell my kids that the way to be great is to exercise your mind and your body by reading books and by exercising. That’s one of the quotes I live by,” explained Iugoo from the BFA warehouse floor. 

He blends his love of regular gym workouts and exercise with a love of good food, running his own company, Taste of Hibachi, as a private chef in the Atlanta area. In his spare time, he also cooks for family and friends.

But Iugoo’s love of helping others and expanding his mind also brought him to Books For Africa. Two years ago, he was looking for places he could volunteer to give back. Books For Africa came up on his radar. Knowing from experience how reading helps you see the world and different places from different perspectives, he came to BFA to check it out, and the rest was history!

In fact, one of the first pallets Iugoo worked on as a volunteer was for a shipment to Ghana, Iugoo’s home country!

“That was like, wow, everything came together,” recalled Iugoo. “I came trying to help out Africa and people in general, and here’s a pallet that’s actually going to my country. So that was impactful, to know I’m helping out my brothers and sisters that I never see.”

With some more information, Iugoo actually was able to locate the destination of the books on Google Maps, and a cousin of his in Ghana took photos of where the books went, bringing the adventure full circle.

Iugoo said the ability to pack up books to send to people he may never meet and providing them with an outlet to explore the world and expand their minds is what keeps him coming back, along with a great group of staff and volunteers. While he says he isn’t a big holidays person, he does enjoy the spirit of people giving back and feeling compelled to help, and that spirit of giving to help others is part of what he enjoys at the BFA warehouse.

When asked what is important for book donors to know, Iugoo said they should know their donations are greatly appreciated. “Even though the recipients are not able to tell them ‘thank you’ themselves, I know they’re greatly appreciated.” Iugoo echoed BFA’s gratitude for donors who take the time to sort, pack up and transport their books to BFA for shipping.

If you’re interested in joining our volunteers and making a difference, you can read more about how to get involved and volunteer here!

Thank you, Iugoo!