You can get your parking fine reduced if you donate food to charity
Every item you donate will take $1 off your parking ticket
The Department of Transportation Services is leading an initiative that allows students to reduce active parking citations in exchange for food donations to the Campus Pantry between Dec. 7 and Dec. 18.
Anyone with an active parking ticket has the option to get their fine reduced by up to 50 percent if they bring canned or nonperishable food items to the DOTS offices.
For every item, $1 will be shaved off the fine.
According to its website, the Campus Pantry aims to “eliminate food hardship at the UMD College Park campus” by providing the donated food to students, faculty, and staff in need.
Students have expressed support for the initiative, and say it’s nice to see DOTS giving back.
Senior Brent Kreutzberg doesn’t have a car on campus, but said he has friends that have racked up some parking tickets this semester who would be happy to hear about this.
“Reducing the fine on your parking ticket is great and helping people in need is great. It’s a win-win,” Kreutzberg said.
Sophomore Aneksha Sinha said DOTS is always talked about negatively by students, but that this might change their perspectives.
“People generally say they hate DOTS because ‘all they want is our money’, so I think them leading this initiative will put them in a better light,” she told The Tab.
This is the first time DOTS is doing something like this, but DOTS Director David Allen told the Diamondback, if it’s successful, they’ll look into other ways they can help the community.