Food for Fines

The Library again partnered with Harvest for Hunger to collect food items for those in need. Food collection barrels were embellished by students in each neighborhood branch and in the Youth Services Department at Main Library. As an additional incentive the Library hosted its second annual Food for Fines program, in April, during National Library Week. Patrons were forgiven $1 in overdue fines for every non-expired, non-perishable food item brought in that appeared on the Cleveland Foodbank’s Super Six Most Needed Food Items list (up to a maximum of $3 forgiven per day). Included on the Super Six list were: beef stew, canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter, cereal and tuna.

Results of the program were overwhelming with more than 9,600 pounds of food collected throughout Library branches during the week. In 2012, the first year of the Food for Fines program, the Library had collected more than 6,200 pounds of food, which was twice that collected in 2011 before the implementation of the Food for Fines program.