Lonoke library gets into giving with ‘Food for fines’

December 2-8, 2013

By Becca Bona

Families and communities have various traditions marked as special for the holiday season. Whether that includes baking a pie, preparing a casserole or simply gathering around close friends and family, the holiday season is synonymous with food. 

Unfortunately, Arkansas ranked the highest in food insecurity in the USDA report that came out earlier in 2013. Programs across the state are in place to help the people that are not guaranteed three meals; however, a local library-concept in Lonoke and Prairie counties manages to bridge the gap between creativity and a great cause. 

From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 the Lonoke/Prairie County Regional Library System is offering the program “Food for Fines.” Throughout the holiday season card-holders are invited to help others will eliminating possible library fines. Non-perishable foods will be acceptable as payment for library late fees up until New Year’s Eve. 

As the library touts on its website, “If you have overdue items you can now return them and no fines will be charged. We just ask that you simply bring in some can goods. We will donate them to a local food pantry.”

Even though the library is not accepting the food items as a get-out-of-jail free card for unreturned library material, the organization is offering a great incentive to help others, in a creative way. Currently, one food item pays for one fine.

For more information visit the library’s website: http://www2.youseemore.com/lonoke/default.asp, or find the library on Facebook and follow the updates relating to can food preference.

Source: Lonoke/Prairie County Regional Library System