” There is good news for students who owe fines to the University. The University Libraries and the Law Library are sponsoring the Food for Fines drive March 8 through March 28. Students have the opportunity to help those in need by paying for their fines with food.”
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There is good news for students who owe fines to the University. The University Libraries and the Law Library are sponsoring the Food for Fines drive March 8 through March 28.

Students have the opportunity to help those in need by paying for their fines with food. For every two items, one dollar will be taken off of what they owe.

The food will go to the Akron-Canton Food Bank for their Harvest for Hunger Campaign.

The University of Akron holds this event twice a year and has been holding them for over a decade. The other Food for Fines drive is held in November and goes to the Akron-Canton Food Bank for the Long Haul Against Hunger Campaign.

Harvest for Hunger is the second largest food and funds drive of its kind in the country. It is held in Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina, Wayne, Tuscarawas, Carroll and Holmes Counties. In 2008, the Akron-Canton Food Bank distributed over 16 million pounds of food to needy people and families. The University of Akron has contributed over 16,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank since 2004.

Students can drop food items off at the Bierce Library, the Science and Technology Library, and the School of Law Library.

Hours of operation for the Bierce Library are 7:30 am to midnight Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 9 pm Friday, 9 am to 8 p.m. Saturday, and noon to midnight Sunday.

The Science and Technology Library is open 7:30 am to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 am to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

Hours of operation for the School of Law Library vary. Students can visit the Web site to keep updated on them.

The Akron-Canton Food Bank especially encourages people to donate boxed cereal, peanut butter, canned tuna, canned vegetables, canned beef stew and canned soup.

Charissa McDowell, who works in the Circulation Department of the Bierce Library, noticed that the most common items students tend to bring in include boxes of macaroni and cheese, cans of soup and cans of tuna.

Any canned items are acceptable, as long as they are not damaged or expired.

Items that are perishable or need refrigerated, such as bread or eggs, will not be accepted.

The Food for Fines Drive will help feed those in need, and it is also a great way for students who owe fines to pay them off without spending a cent.

I don’t owe any fines, but I think this is a great way to encourage people to donate food, said freshman Krista Farnsworth.

The Food Bank encourages anyone who is interested to make a donation.

Financial donations go further, potentially providing seven meals for every dollar donated.

The donations are tax deductible.

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