Another month is in the books — the financial books, that is — and it was a good one for private funding.
Generous patrons taking part in Giving Tuesday, along with the Friends of the Library matching patron donations throughout May — plus making an additional contribution of their own (for a combined total of $10,000) — added $13,560 last month, bringing the year-to-date total to $34,485, or 31.9% of the goal.
Making these numbers even more significant is the fact that the Friends had to cancel their annual Spring Used Book Sale, which generated $11,000 at this time last year. In spite of that loss, the Friends stepped up in a big way, donating funds generated through their annual campaign and membership dues. Thank you!
In addition, the Friends quickly shifted gears and held their first Brown Bag Drive-Up Book Sale earlier this month, which brought out a caravan of eager readers looking to restock their book shelves after a long drought. Following on the heels of that successful sale, the Friends are set to host a second one — this time featuring the addition of children’s books for just $5 per bag. Funds generated from the two drive-up book sales will be reflected in the June results, which will be posted next month.
At a time when patrons and municipalities alike have felt the pinch of reduced income or lower revenues due to COVID-19, we are especially grateful for the support of the communities we serve.
Let’s keep the momentum going. Please come out to support the Friends’ drive-up book sale, use Amazon Smile for your online purchases, donate directly through the button below, and visit our new ‘Support EPL‘ page for even more ways to support the library.
Thank you — we couldn’t do it without you!
Note: For new readers, or anyone who’d like a refresher on what private funding is and why it’s so important to the library, check out ‘Where does the library get its money?’ and ‘A decade of library financials’ from our blog archives.
