Bender Library will be partnering with the Capital Area Food Bank for this year's Food for Fines program, according to Kendra Rowe, director of the food bank's Children and Nutrition Programs.
Students will be able to donate specified nonperishable food items from Nov. 19 through Dec. 17 as a replacement for payment of overdue fines totaling less than $20.
All food donations will go to the food bank's Kids Café. The food bank sent the library a list of specific items the bank needed, Rowe said.
Kids Café is an evening program designed to provide meals to children who would usually only eat the reduced or free meals provided at school. One of the organization's goals is to give children nutritional meals, so the library is accepting specific food items.
To receive $1 off fines, students can bring in an 8-ounce or larger can of fruits, vegetables, pasta or soup; a 6-ounce or larger can of tuna or chicken; or one box of rice or macaroni and cheese. Ten packet boxes of oatmeal are worth $3 in fines. Students can donate either a box of granola or an 18-ounce jar of peanut butter in exchange for a $4 reduction in fines.
The library has used the program for the last 12 years. In past years, the library donated the collected food to the D.C. Central Kitchen but decided to switch to the food bank this year, said Katherine Simpson, assistant head of the library's Access Services.
"It's going to work out better for everyone," she said.
The library will collect the food at the circulation desk. Someone from the library will drop off the items at the food bank, where staff will sort it, Rowe said.
Cristian Becker, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business, said he thinks the program is a good idea.
"The university has enough funds that the overdue fees will not make a big difference," he said. "This will be good for the university."
The library fines people for turning books in late to encourage prompt returns, according to the library's Web site.
The donation program is a good way for the library to give back to the community, said Rena Mathena, a freshman in the School of International Service.
"It's really nice to see the library giving up any sort of profit they might make from fines and turning it into a sort of charity," she said. "I would definitely participate."
There are a lot of opportunities for students to perform community service at AU, said Ravenna Motil-McGuire, a junior in SIS and director for HIV/AIDS Outreach for Women's Initiative.
"I think students really do care," she said. "There is a strong understanding on this campus that there are a lot of issues in the world and we can help."
If the partnership goes well this year, the food bank and library will continue to work together in the future, Rowe said.
