Bartering with food may be common in the dining hall, but a growing number of college administrators will also accept canned foods to forgive students for parking tickets.

Rather than paying cash for debts related to improper or unsafe parking, students can choose to donate non-perishable food items to their institution, which are in turn donated to their peers in the campus food pantry.

Citation donation campaigns in higher education help address the insecurity of students’ basic needs on campus and raise awareness among students about how their peers can support these efforts.

What is the need: College students are more likely to experience insecurity of their basic needs compared to U.S. adults in general, with between 33 percent and 51 percent of all students experiencing food insecurity, compared to about 10 percent of the general population.

When learners cannot afford food or housing, their academic and overall performance is often lower. A 2023 report from Trellis Research found that just under half of students who experienced financial hardship while enrolled had difficulty focusing on their studies due to their financial situation.

College food pantries are largely financed by donations or in collaboration with other organizations offering similar services, such as the local food bank or non-profit groups, making outside support essential to continued operation.

How it works: Each campus sets a range or number of food items a student must donate to charge their fees. THE University of Kentucky requires 10 non-perishable items or five personal care items to waive a $30 quote, while Montclair State University credits a student $10 for open citations for each donated article. George Mason University values ​​10 food products at $20 and five personal hygiene products at $15.

Most institutions limit the types of citations that can be forgiven through pantry donations. THE University of Missouri Only allows students paying parking fees at an expired or unauthorized meter to forgive their debts through donations to the Tiger Pantry.

Some institutions allow learners to make a year-round donation to waive fees. Others hold special food drives during the quarter, targeting specific items most needed in the pantry.

Both the University of Texas at San Antonio And Cleveland State University organize peanut butter-specific campaigns, asking students to donate plastic jars of peanut butter (or other forms of nut butter). The West Virginia University Food PantryThe Rack, offers an up-to-date Amazon wish list with high-demand items that can be donated in lieu of paying parking tickets.

Donations are made directly to the parking ticket office, which is then delivered to the food pantry.

At University of Tennessee, Knoxvillethe effort extends beyond students who acquired parking tickets, but also to faculty and staff. Members of the University community are also not required to pay a fine to give back during donation drives.

The impact: The initiatives have been largely successful in raising donations and encouraging students to give back.

The University of Kentucky has hosted donations for citations since 2016 and continues to be the largest contributor of food and personal care items to the pantry, according to an October press release of the university.

At Rice Universitystudents donated more than 1,800 articles in 2023, crediting $10,290 in citations written during the fall term.

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