Forgiving library fines for food donations
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
United States
November 4, 2010 8:43am CST
I saw this mentioned on the news this morning I thought this was such a neat idea! The library http://prairieskieslibrary.com/ is forgiving patrons fines if they donate non-parishable foods to the library to go to the local food pantry. I think this is a divine idea!! What do you think of it? Though I'm sure most libraries could use the fine money to purchase new materials ect for the library, it's still doing something good for their local community.
3 people like this
10 responses
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
4 Nov 10
Our library has done similar things.. probably is for most of my family the fines are too high to be considered. My 13 year old is the only one who's card we can currently use.. and we even racked up about $6 worth of fines on that.. though I can pay that easily. The others are no less than $50 worth of fines as they've lost or destroyed books we've previously borrowed. This does not count the youngest 2 as they do not have cards yet.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
4 Nov 10
probably is for most of my family the fines are too high probably should be "problem"
I'm not functioning properly today!
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
4 Nov 10
Yeah, I was worried the other month when the kids got the edges of a book damp. We were not accessed a fine for that thank goodness! I figure I can't replace the book for what they want so the kids will get used books from Salvation Army as they sell them here for .30 for kids title wich is cheaper than buying a book from the library & one you can't use decently anymore no less.
I'm surprised they haven't come after you for the fines? I know here they send notices out if they are really late. And if you don't pay certain fines like that or school fees ontime they will try to take your tush to the city attorney! 
Heaven forbid we make public servant/ city employee wages!
Heaven forbid we make public servant/ city employee wages!1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
4 Nov 10
My own fines are over $300 as I took a bunch of stuff out and just NEVER returned it. 
I know.. really dumb.. but it was forever ago. Anytime one of the kids gets a fine I try to pay it.. I still need to pay the twin's fines off.. but I still really like the library because my kids get bored of their books really fast.. and we borrow more than just books from the library.
No they haven't come after me for any of it. They don't seem overly concerned, not sure why. I went in yesterday to get some stuff on my son's card, and even though he has a $6 fine they never even mentioned it.. which is good because I needed that $6 to get a few items for last night's dinner!
I know.. really dumb.. but it was forever ago. Anytime one of the kids gets a fine I try to pay it.. I still need to pay the twin's fines off.. but I still really like the library because my kids get bored of their books really fast.. and we borrow more than just books from the library.
No they haven't come after me for any of it. They don't seem overly concerned, not sure why. I went in yesterday to get some stuff on my son's card, and even though he has a $6 fine they never even mentioned it.. which is good because I needed that $6 to get a few items for last night's dinner!1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
4 Nov 10
that's a very good idea.i doubt my local library would ever go for it,but they should.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71666)
• United States
9 Dec 10
Our library does this to! They have done it two years in a row now. First was around Christmas time then around Thanksgiving. They havent done it yet I am wondering what holiday they will do it for next. It worked great for me. I had like a $10 fine and took in 10 different things my family wasent going to eat like french style green beans, jello, canned pork etc. It worked out great I didnt have to pay the fine and I got rid of items that I wasent going to use anyway. I wish the library was doing that right now I have a whole bunch of food to get rid of lol but I dont have any library fines which is good. I just paid off a $24.50 fine I had from my son tearing a book apart.
@shaggin (71666)
• United States
9 Jan 12
They are doing the good for fines programat my local library again right now. Its from the 3rd until the 14th. I went down today with 6 cans to pay off my $6 fine. They are doing it a little different this year. The cans will take off $1 per can off your fines but it cant be an already existing fine it has to come off a fine that has just been incured such as if I have a movie out right now for 2 days it would cost me $2 when I return it or I can take in two cans of food. So since I had the 6 cans of food that I am not going to eat and I didnt want to haul them back home I just asked them to take the food for me anyway. I will still have my $6 fine to pay eventually.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
5 Nov 10
hi 3SnuggleBunnies yes that a wonderful idea to help those who need
food so bad and you would be really doing a good deed for your
community too.I used to work in the tustin Ca library for years
and the friends of the library worked to get fund to buy new
books and other supplies our library needed.Fines go to the Friends who then decide where to best use the money.
1 person likes this
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
5 Nov 10
I wish our library was doing this. About 8 months ago I checked out some books at our library. Two weeks later my son offered to take the books back for me. I was thankful that he offered and gladly took him up on his offer. Next thing I know I received a letter in the mail saying the books are overdue. I explained they were returned a month ago, and maybe they got shelved wrong. Two weeks after that I received another letter. I doubled check with my son and asked if he went and returned the books at the correct library. We have several library in the area and I usually go to the big one downtown, but he may have returned the books at our local town library. He then announced that he forgot to return the book and they have been sitting in the truck of his car. Needless to say the fine was capped at $50.00 as the library as a policy that the amount can never go higher than that. Well I don't have an extra $50.00 floating around, so the fine with have to wait...but needless to say, I can't go to the library any more.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
4 Nov 10
This is an excellent idea and if only more communities would get involved with charities this way. As there truly are many people today unable to purchase food.
So I do not have any library fines but would donate some things as it often pains me to see many go hungry.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
5 Nov 10
That'd be great...but won't work to many places. To much work for the library people to deal with for so little.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
6 Nov 10
They do that here about once a year. It's a great way to build up the food banks. We also have mail carriers collecting food once a year. That reminds me, I'd better check to see if any of my books are overdue!
