Friends of the Malden Public Library delight patrons once again with “Coffee and a Book – the perfect blend” partnership with Cornucopia Foods, adding MPD to the fun

Special to The Advocate

The Friends of the Malden Public Library (MPL) held a delightfully successful Fall Book Sale from October 4-5. Friday was a “Members-only sneak preview,” giving Friends members the opportunity to enjoy the estimated “gazillion” volume collection (!) of used books donated by our local community. Saturday morning attendees woke up to a double treat: freshly brewed coffee donated by Cornucopia Foods on Pleasant Street, offered for free at the entrance to the Library to our patrons. Many dropped a dollar, or a few, or even 20 (!) in the Friends donations bucket for their beverage – all to support our beloved MPL.

The second treat was that this Fall Book Sale was the first time partnering with the Malden Police Department (MPD). “After the huge success with the Malden Fire Department at our Spring sale, it was logical to partner with our Police force,” asserted Friends of the MPL President Mary Ellen O’Meara.

Four officers rotated to greet families while handing out stickers, pencils and Jr. Police badges to happy children. The families were joyous – while the kids had fun being Jr. Police Officers, the adults enjoyed a cup of fresh coffee from Cornucopia. An interesting detail to note was that the MPD sent two officers who were able to interact with the children in Haitian Creole and in Spanish – many thanks to Officer Mitch and Officer Rick for your warmth and language skills!

“It was so great to see so many little ones interacting with the officers,” commented Assistant Librarian Caron Guigli.

O’Meara pointed out that Malden was recently recognized as one of the most diverse cities in the Commonwealth and that the Friends seeks to reach out to all cultural and age groups in Malden to reflect that diversity in membership. “We are looking for new members and new ideas. Everyone is welcome in the Friends as long as you love books and share our desire to serve the Library and the Community,” she stated.

The Friends of the MPL have been working for more than a year on an outreach plan to enhance diversity and community involvement by partnering with different groups in Malden. “Our message is that in Malden, we all come together at the Library!” stated O´Meara.

Meetings for the Friends are on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the MPL.