Just twenty-four hours after the Mechanic Falls Public Library was broken into and vandalized, Town Manager John Hawley contacted the American Legion to arrange a fundraising dinner.

From there, residents Gary Purrington, Randy Plummer and Shirley Marquis helped set up the dinner.

The dinner was held Saturday, February 3, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Approximately 225 people attended. The kitchen crew ran out of sauce and meat halfway through the dinner.

Several community members volunteered on the serving line, including Mary Martin, principal of Elm St. School, and student council members David Dean and Nick Roy.

Said Martin, “There were very few times when there was no one in the line.”

The dinner raised approximately $1,900. The goal was to raise the $1,000 needed to cover the insurance deductible.

The library’s damage was estimated to be between $4,000 to $6,000, which included the cost of a computer and one hundred DVDs.

When asked why he felt the dinner had been such a success, Hawley explained, “It’s the true nature of a small town to pitch in when needed. They see the value of the library within the town.”

The community must indeed value the library because donations currently total over $3,800. All the money above and beyond the deductible will be used to make upgrades to the library.