Gary and Carol Barker dropped off the books at the Second Chance Book Nook that unknowingly had a large sum of money with them. The money was returned to the Barkers who will get it back to the rightful owners. (Photo courtesy of Fred Miller)

EAST LIVERPOOL — The owners of the $500 in cash found in a box of books donated on Wednesday to the Second Chance Book Nook has been found.

The money belongs to an older couple Kenny and Judy Russell of Salem who gave the box of books to Kenny’s cousin Gary Barker and his wife Carol and told them to pick out the ones they wanted and donate the rest.

The books, according to Gary, were not the kind of books he and Carol would read so they added some books they had to the box and dropped it off at the Second Chance Book Nook not knowing the envelope of cash was in the box, according to Fred Miller, whose wife Caren manages the bookstore for the Way Station.

Fred said the volunteers working at the time of the donation were busy with customers and did not take particular notice of the donor at the time but did remember that he wore a Gatsby golfing hat.

“Lois Barnett, the volunteer who later began sorting the donated books, found an envelope in the bottom of the cardboard box. It was the kind of envelope a bank would put cash in, and “it felt kind of thick,” so she didn’t even open it until she called Caren. When she did there was $500 in $50 dollar bills. It was put in the store safe at the adjacent thrift shop operated by The Way Station, non-profit charitable organization,” Fred said.

The Millers reached out to the newspaper to see if they could run something to help them locate the owner and get the cash back to them.

On Thursday after the article ran, Caren received six calls from people who had recently donated books. Barker was the third person to call, according to Fred.

Gary talked to his wife who read the article and questioned if he should call or not. He said he didn’t think it would be theirs since they had just donated the books the day before. He called anyways and it was confirmed the money was in the box of books he dropped off and arrangements were made for him to come into the bookstore.

Gary said as soon as he walked in the volunteer who took the books recognized him as the donor.

“We got the money back and it’s going back to where it belongs,” Gary said.

Gary called his cousin from the Second Chance Book Nook to ask them about the money but didn’t get through. Later in the afternoon Judy called and confirmed the money was theirs.

Her son had brought some money that he had borrowed to repay her. She was reading a book at the time and put the money in a book and forgot about it. It was one of the books given to Barker.

The Barkers will be going to Salem today or Saturday to return the money to the Russells.

“It was awful nice them,” Gary said of the Millers. “There are still honest people in the world. I try my best. Everything turned out good and it’s a happy ending for everybody.