“Sterling Savings Bank has generously agreed to have people bring all their change to them,” said Judy Ross, a member of the Point Roberts Friends of the Library building fund committee. “They will do it all by hand. They will separate U.S. coins from Canadian. They will count it. They will roll it, and they will deposit the funds into the library building fund account.”

Ross plans to lead off the coin drive with 30 years’ worth of change she has in a pottery pig, which will take up residence at Sterling Savings bank through the month. “Bring your piggy banks, your baggies and your jars and dump it into a big jar,” Ross said. There will be collection jars at Westwind Marine, the library, Auntie Pam’s Country Store, Nielson’s Building Center, the Blue Heron Gallery, Larry’s Liquor Locker, TSB Shipping and the International Marketplace in addition to the bank.”

“I would like it to be a lot!” Ross said. People have been very generous so far. This may not require generosity at all, just good housekeeping!”

The building fund balance is at $54,000. “We’re at over 10 percent of our goal in just a few months,” Ross said. Their last fundraising push was to take advantage of an anonymous $20,000 matching grant during the months of July and August, a goal they reached before the end of August.

Once they have collected $100,000 through local fundraising Ross said they would begin to pursue grant funding. “We have some places we can go and say, “Look at what we’ve done already, can you help us further?””

Cash donations can be made by writing a check to Whatcom County Library Foundation, P.R. Building Fund and mailing it to FOPRL, P.O. Box 970, Point Roberts, WA 98281. Donation cards are also available at the library and email inquiries can be sent to foprl1@gmail.com.