Bemidji Senior Center plans two-day book-bake sale fundraiser

Every dollar from the Bemidji Senior Center’s two-day book-bake sale will go back into a downtown Bemidji institution that serves older adults and anyone else who walks through its doors.

The fundraiser is set for Friday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, April 18, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 216 Third St. NW. Hardback books will sell for $1 each, three softcover books will sell for $1, and homemade baked goods will be priced as marked.

For the senior center, the sale is more than a bargain shopping stop. Its own membership policy says the doors are open to all, with no age restriction, and the center’s programming reaches well beyond a single lunch counter or meeting room. The Minnesota aging-services directory lists the Bemidji Senior Center as a place that offers information and referral, regular and special activities, health screenings, fitness programs and volunteer tax-preparation help. It also notes a technology-help program for older adults at the Bemidji address.

That matters in Beltrami County, where the center functions as a steady local hub for residents looking for practical help, social connection and low-cost activity. The center’s website lists Nutrition Services Inc. / Meals on Wheels, a Senior Creations Gift Shop, volunteer opportunities, trips and special events, all services that depend on a strong base of community support.

The sale gives Bemidji residents a simple way to back that work while picking up inexpensive reading material and baked treats. The combination of books and homemade goods is the kind of no-frills fundraiser that can draw regulars from across age groups, from neighbors hunting for a cheap stack of hardcovers to visitors who want to support a familiar institution in Downtown Bemidji.

With the event running on a Friday and Saturday, the center is aiming for the kind of weekend traffic that fits both working schedules and retired ones. For the Bemidji Senior Center, the cash raised over those two days will help sustain the programs and services that keep older adults connected, active and visible in the heart of the city.