This week, students at the University of North Florida can donate to Lend-A-Wing by paying their parking fines from Oct. 20 through Oct. 25.

Lend-A-Wing, UNF’s on-campus food pantry, recently partnered with Parking and Transportation Services on a Food for Fines initiative. From Oct. 20 to 25, all money collected from students who pay their parking fines will go directly to Lend-A-Wing.  

Salena Laws, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said the Food for Fines program helps students directly support Lend-A-Wing in their mission to combat food insecurity on campus.

“The virtual donation program with Lend-A-Wing offers students a meaningful way to pay off parking tickets while supporting campus efforts to combat food insecurity,” Laws said.

The food pantry has seen an exponential increase in visitors compared to last year, according to Lend-A-Wing’s data.

Below is a list of excluded ticket types, meaning that money gathered from paying these tickets will not be donated to Lend-A-Wing.

Expired or Illegal Use of Disability Permit
Valid Disability Permit Required
Altered or Counterfeit Permit 
Unlawful Possession of Parking Permit
Valid Reserved Permit Required
Fire Lane Violations
Bike Citations
Skateboard Violation
Violation of Pedestrian Zone

Below is a list of fees excluded from Food for Fines.

Collection Fee (per citation)
Immobilization (Boot) Fee
Late Fee for Disability Citations
Late Fee for Non-Disability Citations
Permit Purchase Fees
Tow Fees

The Food for Fines initiative was originally presented as a joint resolution passed by Student Government last spring. 

According to the UNF SG Constitution, joint resolutions are different from bills because they only state the will of the Student Government. At the time of the resolution’s passage in March, Senate President Audrey McGrath said the joint resolution shows SG’s endorsement of the Food for Fines program.

Originally, McGrath said the Food for Fines initiative would allow students to pay of their fines by donating requested items to Lend-A-Wing. However, this week’s Food for Fines fundraiser operates differently; students must pay for their fines to raise money for the pantry.

In March, McGrath did note that the program’s specifics were not yet decided. 

“All of the specifics [of the program] will be decided at a later point. This is more so showing that Student Government urges and endorses the program in general,” McGrath said.

Laws said parking services decided on an online donation program to give Lend-A-Wing more flexibility.

“Unlike traditional programs that rely on canned food donations, Parking Services chose a monetary donation model to provide greater flexibility and convenience,” Laws said. “This approach allows Lend A Wing to stock their shelves with the most needed items, while also eliminating the need for students to physically drop off goods or for Lend A Wing to coordinate collection efforts.”

Learn how to pay parking tickets on UNF’s Parking and Transportation Services website.

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