Directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Arlington County has eight library locations that serve our approximately 235,000 residents. While Arlington is an affluent and well-educated community, it also has high rents and an overall high cost of living. Low-income, and even middle-income, families struggle to pay rent and other bills. Worries about inflation grew steadily in early 2022. Library staff wanted to identify creative solutions to address the needs of our struggling neighbors.

During one of our Programs & Partnerships regular planning meetings, the team explored program ideas that would align both with our growing interest in promoting sustainability and our interest in supporting the community in the face of high inflation and rising prices. A free holiday gifting event was suggested, which would utilize a circular economy to turn community donations of new and nearly-new items into giftable items for others. We enthusiastically embraced the idea, as did our library leaders and community.

We reached out to partner organizations whose mission is to support low-income or at-risk residents. We asked them to distribute event information to their clients. While the event was open to everyone in the community, we wanted to be sure that those who would most benefit, were aware of the event. The tickets and a simple tally sheet helped us capture useful data. We served 971 people and connected them with 2,238 giftable items. User feedback, written and verbal, served as a measure of outcome and impact.