Grab a plate for a good cause, as the Tamaqua Public Library is in the midst of its platter sale fundraiser.

“We do a platter sale biyearly,” said Melissa Hess of the library. “This year, we’re doing one in April, and one in November. We were supposed to do it this week, but we didn’t fill enough platters yet. Hopefully we can get it for next week.”

Platter tickets can be purchased at the library on South Railroad Street. Pickup is scheduled for April 29 at the Tamaqua Public Library from 4-6 p.m.

Each platter consists of a chicken or beef dinner and comes with potatoes, a vegetable, coleslaw with a roll and butter. There will also be a bake sale at the library during the pickup time.

“We’re raising money, we have some repairs we need to do and things like that,” Hess said. “We had a ceiling issue, we actually had a pipe burst in our ceiling. It caused a lake which rained down into the library. We had to have the ceiling replaced in the foyer area and in the front part of the library where the desk is. It all had to be ripped out, dried out and replaced. It took some time.”

The library reopened on March 16.

“Right now, we’re trying to get back to a little more normalcy,” Hess said.

Despite the recent closure, and the pandemic, the library is still providing programs for the community - especially for the Tamaqua youth.

“What we’re doing at this time is called a StoryWalk,” Hess said. “We’re having the children’s program, which is for ages newborn to 5 years old. These stories walks take place around the community.”

Hess said the StoryWalks are once a week on a Tuesday or Thursday. Weather permitting, they are done outside around Tamaqua.

“We coordinate a story and then the kids get to walk around and they go with the story boards in the area. It’s nice to be outside and we can have a few more kids. We are looking to continue that in the summer. We are also going to have a program for ages 6-12 and our YA program, which is ages 13-19 - we’re going to continue that this summer as well.

Other upcoming summer events include a comic book giveaway day and a T-shirt design contest. Books can also be reserved for curbside pickup.

For more information about the platter sale or summer programs, visit the Tamaqua Public Library Facebook page, or call 570-668-4660.