Food for Fines Initiative to Waive up to $100

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Amnesty program to forgive library fines through all Santa Clara County Library District libraries during the month of April

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – March 28, 2018 – Have overdue fines, or maybe a lost item is keeping you away from the library? Santa Clara County residents have a great opportunity to eliminate outstanding library-related fines and fees during the month of April, starting on Monday, April 2. The Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) is launching a Food for Fines program, waiving up to $100 in exchange for the donation of any amount of non-perishable food.

“Over 100,000 of our patrons have outstanding fees or fines,” stated County Librarian Nancy Howe. “Food for Fines provides them with a unique opportunity to come back to the library and start fresh, while at the same time being able to help out the less fortunate with a food donation.”

Food for Fines will be available at each of SCCLD’s seven community libraries and one branch library, as well as through its Bookmobile. Patrons simply bring their food donations to the Accounts Desk during normal business hours to have up to $100 in fines and fees waived. In the case of lost or expired library cards, participants should simply bring any valid form of photo identification in order to take part. A list of most needed and allowable food donations can be found at www.sccl.org/foodforfines/ .

“One in four County residents is at risk for food insecurity, meaning they do not have reliable access to affordable and nutritious food,” said County Supervisor and Library Joint Powers Authority Board Chairman, Mike Wasserman. “This program will feed the mind and the body. By offering Food for Fines in April, we’re able to welcome our patrons back to the library just in time for summer, and provide food to residents struggling to put food on the table.”

All the food collected through Food for Fines will go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, which supports over 250,000 Silicon Valley residents monthly, half of them children or seniors. With an estimated 97.2 million meals missed every year among particularly vulnerable Santa Clara County households, there is a need to take action. This program allows patrons to easily return to good standing while at the same time doing something meaningful for those in need.

“Hunger in Silicon Valley is a problem we can and should solve, but we can’t do it alone,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank. “Partnerships with organizations like the Santa Clara County Library District are what enable us to have an exponential impact on ending hunger in our community. Food for Fines is a great example of a program where everyone in the community can play a role and can help themselves at the same time.” 

Contact:
 Nancy Howe/Diane Roche/Erik Sanjurjo
 Santa Clara County Library District
 (408) 293-2326 ext. 3001/3080/3014

About the Santa Clara County Library District

The Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) promotes knowledge, ideas, and cultural enrichment. Its collection includes more than 2 million books, videos, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, eBooks and extensive online resources accessible from home or work. In 2014, SCCLD celebrated one hundred years of service to local residents. For the last several years, SCCLD has been consistently recognized as one of America’s Star Libraries by Library Journal. In 2017, SCCLD was ranked among the top ten large libraries in the United States in the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service. In 2014 and 2015, SCCLD won Innovator Awards from the Urban Libraries Council.
The Santa Clara County Library District includes two bookmobiles, an online library, seven community libraries and one branch library serving Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. In 2017, the Santa Clara County Library District had more than 328,000 library cardholders and welcomed 3.2 million visitors, who borrowed over 9 million items.