Monsanto Buys Into Public Geneaology Library for Chesterfield

Monsanto, an agriculture research company headquartered in St. Louis, donated $250,000 for St. Louis County Library's new Center for Family History to be located in Chesterfield.

Monsanto Company just donated $100,000 to storm relief victims in April.

County library foundation officials announced the sizable grant Nov. 2. The grant is part of an $18 million capital campaign drive. The foundation is two-thirds of the way to its goal.

St. Louis County Library is said to have an exceptional collection of genealogical resources, with more than 80,000 items. The facility will total 57,000 square feet.

Monsanto's donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a private donor, generating a half-million dollars toward the project overall.

"Monsanto has a commitment to St. Louis and to the people that call it home," said Deborah Patterson, director of corporate responsibility.

"It is our hope that this center will foster residents' growing interest in understanding family history and connect researchers with their past," Patterson said.

The funding will be used to develop a family garden for the new genealogical research facility.

Neil Jaffe, president of the St. Louis County Library Foundation Board, said this about the latest donation:

"I would like to thank Monsanto for their support of the Center for Family History, which will be one of only two facilities of its kind in the U.S. when it is up and running."

St. Louis County Library's collection of genealogical resources includes over 100 rare Yizkor books memorializing destroyed Jewish communities in Europe, a list of Holocaust victims, the Julius K. Hunter African American Research Collection, and the St. Louis Genealogy Society collection.

As the total collection grew, the space to house it at St. Louis County Library headquarters filled to capacity, officials said.

The new family history center will incorporate a large auditorium and a smaller area for special events, weddings and family reunions. It will house a "Hall of Families" capturing the spirit and legend of companies and individuals throughout the Midwest.

The St. Louis County Library Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization, which generates and is funded exclusively by private gifts and donations. The Center for Family History is a project of the Foundation, entirely funded by private contributions. For more information about the Center for Family History or to view drawings of the building, please visit www.slcl.org/foundation or on Facebook.

About Monsanto Company
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. Learn more about Monsanto business and their commitments.

The majority of this information is verbatim from a press release.