Trade a can for a ticket

Forget peanut butter and jelly – for the next two weeks a jar of

peanut butter will go best with a parking ticket.

Today through May 7 students can bring a canned food item to

Green Hall and reduce the amount of their parking tickets,

beginning University Parking Services’ annual University Parking

Citation Amnesty.

“We do amnesty every year and it is a two-fold thing. People

being in a can for a citation and it will help them clear their

record and we are donating the cans to the Food Bank for Larimer

County,” said Cindy Leinweber, assistant director of University

Parking Services. “It helps both the community and students.”

Students may donate one canned food item per unbilled parking

citation and parking services will reduce the ticket by $3. If a

ticket has been doubled, the canned food item will decrease the

fine to the original amount.

Luke Richmond, a senior speech communication major, said the

annual amnesty has a good message of service for students and may

also benefit the image of parking services on campus.

“I think it is very smart,” Richmond said. “It actually might

show students that they care somewhat and they are not just

interested in money, that parking services has a heart.”

As a student who received multiple parking tickets at the

beginning of the year, Lacy Murray said the program will help in

two ways.

“It is great considering the horrible parking situations on

campus and I think it is a great way to get us involved,” said

Murray, a junior apparel and design major.

This is the first year that the amnesty program has been

extended to two weeks and Leinweber hopes that it will not only

give students twice the amount of time to clear their accounts at

the semester’s end, but also that it will double the donation of

food given to the county food bank.

Sabrina Arch, the office and volunteer coordinator for the Food

Bank for Larimer County, said the parking amnesty food drive

collected nearly 700 pounds of food last year.

With each pound of food equaling one meal, the food drive

provided enough food to feed a family of four for two months.

“We have estimated that we serve 40,000 low-income individuals

within Larimer County,” Arch said. “Every food drive that people do

for us is added to our local donations, America’s Second Harvest

Donations (the food bank’s umbrella organization) and the

government to equal 4.3 million pounds of food distributed a

year.”

While Erin Morrill, a senior English literature major, said she

does not believe in the use of cars, she said people should engage

in their community more often.

“I think that it’s sad that people need an incentive like that

to help out their community. I wish there were other ways to

motivate people to get involved,” Morrill said.

Still, Leinweber and Arch said every donation counts, regardless

of the motive.

“We will take any and all donations,” Leinweber said. “Some

people even bring in food when they don’t have citations and ask

that it be given to people who don’t have a canned food item to

reduce their ticket. We are hoping with the extension we can make a

really good donation.”

BOX:

Food Bank for Larimer County is asking for…

* Canned items

* Tuna

* Fruit

* Tomato products

* Peanut Butter

* Cereal

* Canned Dinners

* Personal Care Items