HARLINGEN — If only we had a Food for Fines program for parking or speeding tickets.
The Harlingen Public Library is again participating in a Food for Fines drive to raise non-perishable food donations for the Loaves and Fishes pantry.
This year’s drive will be held Nov. 14-20 and library patrons can get $1 off their bill for overdue books for every can of food donated.
“I think last year we collected over 100 items that went to Loaves and Fishes,” library Director Dauna Campbell told the library board this past week. “The way it works is patrons will bring in their can of soup or their can of green beans and they’ll get a dollar waived from their fines.
“People actually brought a lot more food than we waived last year,” she added. “We received well over 100 items and we only waived about 80 dollars in fines, so people brought substantially more.”
Campbell also told the board the library would be repeating a similar drive for toys next month.
“In December we’re going to be doing a Toys for Fines drive,” she said. “And when people bring in an unwrapped toy it will be five dollars off of their fine.”
Campbell said last year the library collected toys for the Harlingen Fire Department.
“Again, we received more toys than we waived fines last year, and all of the toys will go to the Harlingen Fire Department’s Hearts of Fire program which are then given to Harlingen ISD kids that aren’t going to get a gift any other way,” she said.
