By Tyler Dubreuil
Every year local food drives pop up, encouraging people to donate to local food banks.
No surprise there, but how some charities and drives decide to encourage donations can definitely raise eyebrows.
Algonquins’ Student Support Services definitely did that, and got food for the needy, when it decided to erase library fines for students who donate. For every one item of food donated, a dollar will be paid towards your overdue library fines.
Tammy Thornton is one of the organizers of the drive.
“I’ve been with the college for 25-years now, so quite a while” Thornton joked, “and I’ve been in the library now for about three and a half-years, this is something that has been going on for as long as I can remember now.”
The idea; called The Food 4 Fines Drive, for the last few years has been a major part of raising non-perishable food for local food banks.
“We ensure the non-perishable food items fits criteria (in terms of damage and expire date) and as long as the guidelines are met were accepting to it, so it allows us to donate, the student to donate, and their fine is reduced in the process, its really a win, win.” Thornton went on to say.
“There are three food banks that we donate to; the Woodroffe campus goes to the Ottawa food bank, our Perth campus donates to Perth and Valley food bank and Pembroke donates to St. Josephs, each library chooses their own local one to donate to,” Said Travis Winwood.
Winwood is a library technician with a hand in helping the drive.
“The first week is generally a little slower, the second and third week as students start to get notices about there overdue library fines, they’re realizing that this is such a great deal for them, that they can really lower their fines significantly by donating, and thats when the food starts really coming in” Winwood said.
Donations can be left in the library in the B-building. The drive started Nov. 25 and continues until Dec. 13.