Library announces launch of cookbook fundraiser

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Municipal Library is announcing the release of a new cookbook to help raise money for facility programming.

Councillor Melissa Langmaid who also sits on the library board of directors, announced the release of the book during a Coffee with Council event, hosted Sept. 29 at the Strathmore Municipal Building.

“Over the past year, year and a half or so, we’ve collected recipes from residents in town and we’ve collaborated, collated them into this wonderful little book that includes … all sorts of delicious things,” said Langmaid. “As these are priced at $20 each, they make great Christmas presents and all proceeds go towards supporting our local library and in providing programming and materials for residents.”

Langmaid added the cookbook is also a way to celebrate the history of the library and the services it provides for the community. 

The cookbook itself is filled with roughly 150 recipes that were submitted to the library by local residents. 

“We wanted to provide, as we discussed in our board meetings, a family heirloom (and) something that would showcase what people in Strathmore were making in 2022,” said Langmaid. “This is how we were cooking, these are the recipes we were using and over the years, maybe as we take more opportunities to revise and build on this, there might be new versions coming out.

The announcement during the Coffee with Council event was the first public mention of the books being available for purchase. 

Supply is limited as there are only 150 copies of the book that have been put to print. 

“It’s been an idea to collect these recipes so they are not lost and they kind of bring people together,” said Ann Horn, library board of directors. “I think the whole idea is that it has been put together so that people can share these.”

Horn added the proceeds from sales of the cookbook will go towards repairing and replacing equipment, as well as updating old and outdated computers. She said although the funding that is regularly allocated for the library allows the facility freedom to do lots for the community, there is always more that could be done to improve services.

“We still need to replace a lot of things in the library to keep it active. The number of people who use the library in the community is amazing and we would like to make sure that we keep the facility up to date,” said Horn. 

Copies of the cookbook are available for purchase in person both at the Strathmore Municipal Library as well as at the Strathmore Municipal Building.