Food for Fines canned food drive scheduled at libraries

You can help feed the hungry in Lorain County and reduce your library fines in March.

The Lorain Public Library System is hosting a Food for Fines canned food drive from March 1-31, to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio’s Harvest for Hunger campaign.

The donated canned goods will be delivered to the Second Harvest to stock local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters throughout Lorain County and north central Ohio, according to a news release.

Library patrons can get $1 forgiven from overdue fines for every canned food item they bring to any of the six Library System branches in March, and get up to $4 forgiven per day, the release said.

The library system operates the Main and South branches in Lorain, Avon Branch, Columbia Branch, Domonkas Branch in Sheffield Lake and North Ridgeville Branch.

Consider donating from the most needed canned food items including canned soup, canned vegetables, canned beef stew and canned tuna, the release said. The branches will not accept items in glass containers, damaged or expired.

Only overdue fines will be forgiven. This does not apply to library bills on lost or damaged items. Patron accounts that have been referred to materials recovery services are not eligible for Food for Fines.

Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz, director of the library system, said she’s excited the library system is hosting its first food drive with Second Harvest.

“We know that food insecurity is happening in our county,” Diamond-Ortiz said. “It’s just not always visible. If we can bring awareness to this by having this food drive, it’s a good thing for everybody.”

Julie Chase-Morefield, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, said the Library System helps low-income people in the area by providing access to computers and books.

“The library is a great resource for Lorain County, and so we’re glad to be partnering with the library,” Chase-Morefield said.

Harvest for Hunger is one of the largest food and fund drive campaigns of its kind in the nation, raising more than $2.5 million and 400,000 pounds of food last year. That includes the fundraising efforts throughout 21 counties in northern Ohio.

More than 100 partnered charities in Lorain, Crawford, Erie and Huron counties benefit from the yearly collection. About 60 percent of the charities involved are located in Lorain County.

Last year’s campaign generated about $215,000 in these four counties, which equates to about one million meals.

For more information, call the Library System at 440-244-1192 or 800-322READ (7323), or visit LorainPublicLibrary.org.

The branches will not accept items in glass containers, damaged or expired.