Stephanie Patterson, far right, Food Security and Nutrition Manager with the Student Union of UBC Okanagan, helped students Maki Benedicto, Omana Pisharoty and Ana Cortes unload donated items when the Food for Fines program came to an end last month.
It’s that little slip of paper that can impact anyone’s day.
Running late to class or a meeting, a person might forget to pay for parking. When they return, they find a note tucked onto the windshield—it’s a notice of a parking citation that is probably going to cost money.
Fortunately for students, faculty and staff at UBC Okanagan, there is a grace period where twice a year parking fines can be partially forgiven if a donation is made to the campus food bank.
Food for Fines has been in operation on campus for several years, explains Jeff Joyce, Manager of Parking Services at UBC Okanagan. Each November and February, people with a parking citation have the option to pay the first half of any parking fine with a food donation. Food items are given to UBCO’s Pantry, a food bank located on campus and operated by the Students’ Union Okanagan (SUO).
“In November we received 1,765 items—which was a new record for the single largest food donation to the SUO Pantry,” says Joyce. “However, that record didn’t last long, as our February contributions totalled more than 1,925 items. That translates to about $5,680 in parking citation forgiveness.”
The Pantry, which opened in 2019, helps provide emergency food relief for students. It has grown considerably over the years, explains Stephanie Patterson, SUO Food Security and Nutrition Manager. More than 100 students use the space each day, and between 40 to 50 students access the hamper program each week.
“With various programs spanning the year, we rely greatly on campus partners as well as off-campus donors to keep our shelves filled,” says Patterson. “Parking Services’ Food for Fines program has had a huge impact on our ability to keep our stores up and occurs at a time when donations tend to decrease. We are so grateful for all their hard work, and their creative way to ease students’ financial burden.”
Patterson notes more than 43 per cent of post-secondary students across Canada are food insecure. At the SUO Pantry, students can request a hamper, donate or volunteer their time. The program has recently expanded into a collaboration with the Campus Wellness unit to start Picnic, a food and wellness hub that promotes community food sharing.
“Our team is simply amazed at the response from the campus community, both in November and again last month in February,” adds Joyce. “Donations received this February greatly exceeded our expectations, providing a significant boost to the SUO Pantry. We thank our entire campus community for its support and look forward to growing this initiative even further.”
