The fundraising effort to buy a new bookmobile received a boost in the form of a $20,000 grant from the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation, according to a release.

The grant will be disbursed to the Blue Ridge Regional Library Foundation, the charitable partner organization for the Patrick County Branch Library system.

Grant proceeds are earmarked to help with buying a new vehicle to replace the aging bookmobile that serves all of Patrick County’s elementary schools and communities.

The addition of the Reynolds Foundation grant brings the total in the bookmobile fund to $154,000, which moves the project significantly closer to the $185,000 needed to buy a new vehicle.

The fundraising campaign was launched a year ago, and has garnered support from local government and other organizations. It also has benefited from contributions from individuals, businesses and community groups, as well as proceeds from fundraising events.

Organizers hope a new bookmobile will be bought and placed in service before the end of 2018.

The Richmond-based Richard S. Reynolds Foundation was established in 1955 by Julia Louise Reynolds to carry on the legacy of her husband, the founder of the Reynolds Metals Company.  The foundation has provided more than $50 million in grants to community and worldwide organizations, supporting a broad range of causes in areas such as science, education, healthcare, the environment and the arts.

In earlier grant cycles, the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation has given grants to the Patrick County Education Foundation and to the Virginia Tech Foundation for projects at the Reynolds Homestead.

The Blue Ridge Regional Library Foundation was created in 2014 to raise money for special projects and capital spending needs for the library system that serves Patrick and Henry counties and the City of Martinsville.  The bookmobile project is its first major fundraising effort.