If you get a ticket for certain parking fines in East Grand Forks, you can pay the fine through food or cash donations to the East Grand Forks Food Shelf.
It’s effective for the month of December.
East Grand Forks Police Chief Michael Hedlund said this program started about a decade ago.
"One of our officers working with us at that time read about a similar program in a different community," Hedlund said. "He brought it to me. And I thought it sounded like an excellent idea."
Hedlund said he brought the idea to the East Grand Forks City Council.
"They approved it that year, and has re-approved it every single year since then," Hedlund said.
Those who receive those tickets can either bring in five non-perishable food items, or pay the monetary fine and have it designated to the food shelf. Hedlund said it also reminds people about street maintenance and snow removal.
"It's not quite as harsh for some people," Hedlund said. "When they find out the can do a donation to the food shelf, and that will take care of their ticket, it makes receiving that ticket a little less painful."
Hedlund said it serves the purpose of helping get the word out, so they remember they can't have their vehicles on the road during a snow event.
"But it also serves a positive in getting some extra supplies into the food shelf," Hedlund said.
Hedlund said in most years, this program has been very successful. But he said last year was a different story.
"We had such a small amount of snowfall, I don't know if we collected any food," Hedlund said. "It was such a mild winter."
But Hedlund said there have been years when several hundred pounds of food were collected.
