If you haven’t been hiding under a rock for the last few months, you probably know that Ferguson, Missouri isn’t exactly the best place to be right now.
Rioting broke out in full force last week when a grand jury chose not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for his involvement in the death of Michael Brown. Because of the racial component, it’s an extremely volatile situation that has grown increasingly worse over the course of the year.
But some good news has come out of all that mess. Even though a lot of businesses and schools closed throughout the community, the Ferguson Municipal Public Library remains open. Last Monday, they tweeted:
Many other orgs closing. But we will stay open to serve people of #Ferguson as long as safe for patrons & staff, up to 8p. Love each other.
— Ferguson Library (@fergusonlibrary) November 24, 2014
As a result, the library has received an overwhelming amount of support from book nerds across the country, including 7,000 donations.
Board member re donations: OH MY SWEET LORD!!!!! The goodness of people far outweighs the hate. I am weeping as I type — my heart is full.
— Ferguson Library (@fergusonlibrary) November 27, 2014
As of yesterday, over $300,000 had been donated to the Ferguson library. That’s unbelievable!
This is a tiny library that now has the ability to hire a second full-time librarian thanks to these donations. Amazing stuff.
If you’d like to take part and help out the Ferguson library, visit their website and click on the DONATE button in the top right hand corner of the homepage.
(Image: BuzzFeed)