Allied Waste Services of Santa Barbara has made a $4,000 contribution to the Goleta Library to help it with operational funding that it needs in the wake of budget cuts.

“The Goleta Library is one of the community’s most important institutions,” said Stephen MacIntosh, general manager of Allied Waste. “It is a place that promotes literacy and lifelong learning, and it is also a great model for environmental responsibility. Its long-standing system of borrowing and returning is inherently green.”

More than 1,000 people visit the Goleta Library every day to borrow books, CDs, DVDs and audio books, or to use the computers — free of charge. Many also come to do homework, study, or simply to relax or read.

MacIntosh, an environmentalist and a former elementary school teacher, says education is an area that is “near and dear to his heart.”

“Allied has provided waste services in Goleta for nearly 40 years and is proud to play a part in sustaining our library’s growth and preserving its valuable collection,” he said. “We are committed to the communities we live in, and investing in Goleta’s library is a more-than-worthy cause to support.”

— Daniella Elghanayan is a publicist.