The Wagga Wagga community is being praised for its spirit of generosity and support for the City Library's 2020 Christmas Food Appeal.
Library staff have been boxing up and bagging the thousands of non-perishable food and drink items donated to the appeal, which ran from 24 November to 24 December last year.
Acting Manager Library Services Christine Bolton said as soon as the library advertised that its Christmas Food Appeal was underway, people started to bring in items.
"The response from the community has been marvellous, library patrons have been incredibly generous. It's wonderful affirmation of the Festive Season," Ms Bolton said.
"Even though we didn't have the 'Food for Fines' element this time, we still received around the same amount of donations we had in previous years.
"I think people like to honour the season of giving; the appeal is also a way to say thank you for the free library services that Council provides for everyone in the community.
"We can then pass on that gratitude to those who need a helping hand."
The focus of the 2020 appeal was on staples for the pantry, from tinned food to breakfast cereals, spreads such as Vegemite to pasta, juices tea and coffee.
The boxes and bags of donated items will be collected by the Salvation Army for distribution to those in need across the Wagga community over coming months.
"When we spoke to the Salvation Army a few years ago, they identified that people most needed assistance after Christmas, when a lot of money had been spent and people found themselves in financial difficulty," Ms Bolton said.
"That's when they need practical non-perishable items they can use for meals and lunch boxes when the children return to school."
Meantime, the library will be providing plenty of ways for people of all ages to keep entertained in the new year.
This includes the Summer Reading Challenge 2021, which runs online from 1 to 31 January, and Family Movie Wednesday on the morning of 13 January, which features the screening of The Secret Garden.
