Public contributions to the Foley Community Library will support staffing, educational opportunities and programs as the facility continues expanding its offerings to the community.

Foley City Council recently accepted several donations and grants that will help fund library operations and educational initiatives, including a combined $12,000 for staffing and youth literacy.

The Friends of the Library donated $7,000 to fund a temporary position to provide Saturday staffing. The council also approved using a $5,000 donation from a local resident to support additional part-time staffing, according to Foley library director Kate Norris.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich praised the Friends of the Library for their continued support of the facility.

"We very much appreciate the Friends of the Library," Hellmich said. "They are an outstanding, cooperative group and they're very proud of the library. We are very proud of it too and we appreciate everything that they do."

The Friends of the Library is a group of Foley-area residents who support the library through annual activities, including the organization's Book Sale and operation of the Bookstore inside the facility.

The contributions come as the library continues building on the opportunities provided by its new location on East Orange Avenue. The 40,000-square-foot building opened in August and offers about twice the space of the former facility.

Hellmich said Norris and her staff have done an excellent job expanding the library's offerings since the new building opened. He also praised Norris for recently presenting information about the library to a group of residents, emphasizing that its value extends beyond the building itself.

"She did a fantastic job telling them about our library," Hellmich said. "It wasn't just about the facility. It's about the programs. The programs that they have are amazing that they have there. We have a great opportunity here with everything that they're doing."

In addition to the staffing donations, the council accepted a $5,000 Dollar General Youth Literacy grant. Norris said the funding will support the library's STEAM Lab, which focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

The library will also receive reimbursement from the Alabama Humanities Foundation for expenses associated with a presentation hosted at the facility.

"The Alabama Humanities Alliance will actually reimburse us for a presentation," Norris said. "We booked a presenter. We signed a contract with them, and they will reimburse us for it."

Together, the contributions will help the Foley Community Library maintain staffing support and provide educational programming as it continues serving residents from its expanded facility.