OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) — The pandemic is creating a serious budget crunch for the volunteer non-profit organizations that provide key funding and support city libraries across San Diego County.
Gail Wells of the Friends of Oceanside Library says fundraising efforts have almost completely dried up.
“We make $8,000 a year on book sales. And we make $24,000 on Farmer’s Market sales. We’ve lost that. We can’t have any book sales," says Wells.
Other fundraisers have had to be canceled, as well. Wells says they have tried to get creative, including selling used books on Amazon and offering drive-through boxed book sales, where for $5, people can buy a box of books in a particular genre without knowing precisely what books they will receive.
“A lot of people will say I don’t need a box of books. And we’ll say all you need to to get one book you like and it pays for your box of books. Sometimes it works," Wells said.
The fundraising woes come at the worst possible time for Friends of the Oceanside Public Library because they are about to lose their office/sorting room. That’s because the city is tearing down the building to make way for a new fire station. Thus far, with their resources drastically slashed, the group has been unable to find a new space.
“We’re doing the best we can,” Wells said.
The Friends of the Oceanside Library has launched a GoFundMe campaign to try to raise $10,000.
