UPPER EAST SIDE — Sandy Franzel and Diane Beslanovitz spent Thursday afternoon as volunteer gift wrappers at the Barnes & Noble on East 86th Street near Lexington Avenue.
Franzel and Beslanovitz, both blind residents of the Institute for Community Living, a nonprofit that helps people with psychiatric, intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, helped with the lunch time rush of gift-buyers.
"I'm putting cards in envelopes, stickers on boxes and Scotch tape," Franzel, 58, said. "I'm wrapping paper, boxes and books."
Beslanovitz said she taught herself how to wrap by just feeling the folds.
"You just fold it over, wrap it this way and tie," she said, demonstrating.
"It's nice and neat," Franzel piped in.
Both said they enjoyed volunteering.
"It's something to do and it makes me occupied," Beslanovitz, 61, said.
Dylan Stanfield, the ICL's art therapist, added: "They each wanted to help Barnes & Noble customers and break down myths that people may have."
Throughout the holiday season Barnes & Noble brings in nonprofits to help with gift-wrapping, while letting the organization's fundraise and improve their visibility, the store's events manager Edwin Tucker said.
"We have at least 10 groups," Tucker said. Breakthrough New York, a program that helps low-income students get into four-year colleges, and Autism Speaks, a group helps raise awareness of autism spectrum disorders, are among the participating organizations.
The program is so popular it has a waitlist, he said.
"When they do the volunteer gift wrapping it relieves our staff to work on the busy job of retail," Tucker said. "It most definitely helps us and it's a win-win for the organization because it helps them get the word out."
This is ICL'S third year working the holidays at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side, and according to Constance Brown, vice president for corporate community relations at ICL, the stint has helped.
While there is no obligation for shoppers to donate, last year the ICL raised more than $1,400.
Elizabeth Hand, 58, a Long Island resident who works at a nearby hospital, wanted to know how she could donate to the organization as she had the books she bought for her mother and brother wrapped.
"I think this is wonderful," Hand said. "I just think sometimes people don't pay attention to folks around them. As someone who has had issues with depression, I can relate to these things."
