By Susan Shinn
sshinn@salisburypost.com
If you’re looking for inexpensive gifts for the upcoming holiday season, look no further than the Rowan Public Library.
For the past five years, the Friends of the Library has offered a gift basket fundraiser. This year’s selection of 500 gift baskets represents the Friends’ largest effort ever.
The baskets will be on display starting Saturday, Nov. 1, at all three branches.
“People have been extremely generous this year,” says Susan Waller, a member of the Friends board.
To assemble the baskets, the Friends collect new or gently used books from donations year-round, then add donated items centered around a book’s content.
The categories include cooking, gardening, weddings, health, Christmas and more. There are baskets of interest to men with themes of golf, fishing, camping and sports. There are baskets for animal lovers. There are baskets for baby showers.
Waller and Gavine Pitner, another board member, have headed up the project.
“We enjoy doing it or we wouldn’t do it,” Waller says.
Beginning in February, the women started sorting books. Several weeks ago, they started working every Monday morning to assemble the baskets. Other committee members have included Pat Beck, Sammie Hinshaw, Fran Burding, Amanda Harwood, Rachel Hamilton and Sherry Strother.
The fundraiser helps the library fund programs it wouldn’t otherwise be able to offer ó Stories by the Millstream and the upcoming storytelling festival, for example.
By selling gift baskets, the Friends have put new carpet in the children’s room in Rockwell, and given grants to library staff members who are studying for degrees in library science.
None of the books in the baskets have been circulated, Waller says. “People have donated these things. It’s a really good way to regift.”
She adds, “We’re very picky about what goes in there. A lot of people have evidently downsized and given us whole collections of books. We’ve got the best cookbooks I’ve ever seen.”
“We’ve got really good children’s books,” Pitner adds.
The children’s books are not placed in baskets, but rather paired with small toys or other items.
There’s a terrific selection of mugs paired with paperback books and coffees, teas, crackers and other nice snacks. These can all be had for $5 each.
All of the food items have been purchased by the Friends to insure their freshness.
“They’re all packaged and ready to go,” Waller says of the mugs. “They make such good teacher gifts or neighbor gifts.”
“Just anything you need a small remembrance for,” Pitner notes.
The main branch will have the greatest number of branches ó because the most storage space is available there, Waller says. “We put a selection of everything we’ve got at all branches in all price ranges.”
None of the baskets is over $25.
“We’re trying to be sensitive about the economy,” Waller says. “We know people are looking for value. We want to support the library and to be sensitive to the needs of the community during difficult times.”
The fundraiser will take place during November. Usually by the first week in December, Waller says, all of the baskets have been purchased.
“It’s been really fun,” Pitner says. “We’re learned how to put together very nice baskets.”
For more information about the Friends of the Library gift basket fundraiser, call the headquarters of Rowan Public Library at 704-216-8228.