President's Message | March 2025

Dear Friends,

Shoutouts this month to two FAL activities. FAL sponsored a garden in front of the Bay Farm Library. We contributed funds to buy plants, mulch, and fertilizer, and on a Saturday morning, board members and FAL supporters worked the soil to place the plants, creating a beautiful area around the library. A small amount of work remains to place boulders and plant identification markers. I am looking forward to seeing the garden flourish as the plants grow, replacing the weeds and bare soil.

Thanks to the Bay Farm Library staff, led by Rosemary van Lare and Matt Hagedorn, for a great proposal and to the volunteers who contributed their gardening expertise.

The Friends Café is on the map! The Mercury News featured eight library cafés in a recent story, and we were included in the article. As far as we know, we are the only all-volunteer library café. The Café Team is doing an outstanding job testing new products and attracting new customers. Stop by to say hi, enjoy the offerings, and take in the festive springtime decorations.

Mark your calendars for the next book sale—May 14-17 in the Stafford Room of the Alameda Free Library. We continue to receive outstanding book donations and are delighted to rehome them to book sale customers while raising money for the Alameda Free Library. The FAL Board and book sale team look forward to seeing everyone at the sale.