The holiday season is the optimum time of the year for food banks to ask for your donations, even though there is a great need for it all year round. Some cities have decided to coax people’s generosity by exchanging reduced or waived parking fees for donations to the local food pantry.
A program called Food For Fines was adopted last year in Lexington, Kentucky. People who brought in 10 cans of food knocked $15 off their parking tickets. The drive was a success.
“Last year citizens brought in over 6,200 cans of food as payment for over 600 meter citations. We hope by opening the program up to all types of citations, we’ll see those numbers increase this season,” said Parking Authority Executive Director Gary Means.
This year Food For Fines in Lexington is open from November 16th to December 18th, and the idea has spread to other parts of the country. In states like New York, though, it can be a challenge, as the state constitution doesn’t allow people to barter reduced fines for food.
The city of Albany got around this by waiving all additional fees for everyone, but strongly encouraged a canned goods donation when showing up to pay off the original parking violation. Extra charges tacked on tickets, like late fees, can more than double the price of the original ticket, so excusing these additional charges brought in more people willing to pay, as well as gathering over 3,000 pounds in food contributions.
Some cities, like Tallahassee, are allowing up to $50 ($1 per item) to be exchanged during their drive, which goes until January 4th for any parking tickets received after November 30th. City Commissioners aren’t concerned with a revenue loss from citations, they’re hoping that Food For Fines generates even more goodwill throughout the season:
“If you pay your parking ticket with crucial food items for families that are in need, perhaps you’ll be more giving in other ways as well,” [said City Commissioner Scott Maddox.]
Of course, there’s a good chance your local library has been running a Food For Fines drive already. They usually hold them throughout the year to forgive overdue fees. But it’s more likely you’ve received a ticket for an expired meter than a late-returned book, and they’re more pricey, as well.
If you’re interested in donating to your local food bank but you haven’t earned yourself a parking violation, first and foremost, a cash donation goes further than those canned peas you don’t want. $10 can generate 40 meals.
But there’s also a lot of non-food items you can give that most places don’t even ask for, like spices (seasoned salts, peppers, oregano, etc.), feminine hygiene products, toiletries (like shampoo and toothpaste — but don’t donate over-the-counter meds like aspirin, they can’t redistribute any drugs), and socks.
via NPR
