Someone torched the Merced Girl Scouts’ Little Free Library. Locals aren’t having it.

It was a Girl Scout project that encourages people to share books for free.

But someone burned down the Little Free Library at a Merced park, leaving the young girl scouts disappointed and the troop leaders shaking their heads.

Girl Scout Troop 3022 co-leader Lori Foster of Merced said she found out last week that someone set fire to the troop’s library at Rudolph Joseph Merino Park, burning all the books inside and ruining the project put together by a dozen girls between the ages of 6 and 10.

“It’s kind of surprising and disappointing,” said Foster. “There were books inside and they lit them on fire.”

A Little Free Library is a free neighborhood book exchange with the most common version being a small wooden box of books, that encourages readers to take a book or leave a book to share, according to the nonprofit’s website.

“It’s the motto of the Girl Scouts to make the world a better place and they take that to heart”, said Foster.

Foster said when troop leaders met with the girls to break the news of the vandalism the girls were sad, disappointed and kind of angry.

Foster said the girls want to rebuild and let people know that they can’t do this.

A Facebook post informing the community of the vandalism was shared more than 200 times and has received more than 100 comments from fellow Facebook users.

“Who would do such a stupid ugly thing?” said one Facebook user in the comments section of the post.

Many others voiced their support of the troop and asked how they could help.

A Facebook user involved with the Girl Scout troop responded to the comments and said anyone who would like to donate can do so by sending gift cards to Lowe’s, Home Depot or any other hardware store so the girls can buy supplies needed to rebuild the library. The troop is also asking for book donations so the library can remain full at all times for the community.

Foster said the troop will be at Rudolph Joseph Merino Park on Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During this time members of the community can donate books, purchase cookies and learn about how they can support the Little Free Library in their neighborhood. There will also be refreshments for the public, said Foster.

City of Merced Recreation Supervisor, Jennifer Arellano, said she was disheartened and disappointed when she heard that the library had been vandalized.

“It’s something good we want to offer the community,” said Arellano.

Arellano said she knows other structures such as bathrooms and shade structures at city parks get vandalized, but this is the first time she has heard of a Little Free Library being targeted.

The pole which the library sat upon is still in place, and the city will be working with the Girl Scout troop to rebuild the library, said Arellano.

“We really appreciate the Girl Scouts doing it and approaching us and that they are willing to try again,” said Arellano. “I think that’s the spirit that all of us need to have for our city.”

Anyone looking to contact the leaders of Girl Scout troop 3022 can do so by emailing them at tiogasutroop3022@gmail.com.