‘Fines for Food’ Campaign is Back!

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release:

November 30, 2022

For more information, contact:

Robert Goulding, DPW Public Information Manager

RGoulding@burlingtonvt.gov

‘Fines for Food’ Campaign is Back!

 DPW Parking Services works with Feeding Chittenden to Fight Food Insecurity

Burlington, VT – The City of Burlington is excited to announce its second annual ‘Fines for Food’ campaign to fight food insecurity. From November 25^th through December 31^st, 2022, the Department of Public Works’ Parking Services team will donate half of all overdue parking tickets paid to Feeding Chittenden – Vermont's largest emergency food provider. Last year, Parking Services donated nearly $40K to fight food insecurity. (see last year’s announcement, here)

“This innovative, meaningful program gives Burlingtonians and visitors another opportunity to support their neighbors during the holiday season and is an outstanding example of how the City team continues to work toward equitable outcomes that keep taxpayers whole while protecting our most vulnerable community members,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “I hope that we can grow on the success of last year’s pilot program, and contribute even more to support Feeding Chittenden’s mission to ensure no one in our region goes without food.”

“We are deeply grateful to the Department of Public Works for their hard work and innovative approach to fighting hunger in our community,” said Rob Meehan, Director of Feeding Chittenden. “Fines for Food assistance is needed now more than ever as a growing number of people experience food insecurity. Funds from this effort will go directly to feeding our neighbors.”

City Council President Karen Paul – who helped establish the ‘Fines for Food’ program in 2021 - had this to say:

“Although Chittenden County is considered one of the healthiest in Vermont, over 10% of our community members, many of them children, are food insecure, an unnecessary truth and one that should be unacceptable to all of us.

 Fines for Food was created so we, as a community, could pay it forward and support an important and vital need. As a caring, compassionate and giving community, food insecurity is a challenge that we can address. There is hope and a kind spirit in all of us. I am grateful to the combined efforts of the amazing Parking Services team at DPW and the important work of Feeding Chittenden as well as those who will be paying their overdue fines and in turn supporting our city’s infrastructure and community needs.  I hope that there will come a time when this program is no longer needed either because the city has no overdue fines or food insecurity is a truth of the past. Much as I would hope for the former, it is my hope that the latter comes first.”

“The mission of Fines for Food is to create a positive experience while resolving overdue tickets, unlock overdue or lost revenue to fund City services and, most importantly, to take concrete action to address food insecurity in our community,” Director of Public Works Chapin Spencer and Division Director of Parking & Traffic Jeff Padgett – who oversees Parking Services - said in a joint statement. “The Parking Services team works toward safety & equity day in and day out – this effort is directly in line with the passion and resolve in which they serve the City. We thank them for their hard-work and creativity in making Fines for Food a success for the community.”

Overdue parking tickets can be paid online at www.burlingtonvt.gov/parking or by stopping by the Parking Services office at 645 Pine Street during business hours (8:00-4:00 Monday-Friday).  For those who have no overdue fines, but wish to contribute to Feeding Chittenden, you are encouraged to visit https://feedingchittenden.org/.

A NEW MISSION FOR PARKING -- SAFETY & EQUITY

 In 2021, DPW completed its reorganization of Parking Services to create a one-stop-shop for all parking needs. The new Parking Services Office has placed an emphasis on safety, equity and the customer experience. Since inception, Parking Services has:

• Increased the towing threshold under the City’s scoff law from $75 to $250 to reduce the number of tows and increase the time to cure violations
• Removed “convenience” fees from online payments
• Instituted the ‘Whoops!’ program which will waive one non-safety-related parking violation each year
• Re-organized existing staff to expand hours of service to ensure that safety violations, such as blocked hydrants, could be responded to faster
• Digitized monthly permits
• Digitized resident parking permits for convenient online purchase

FREE PARKING!

Don’t forget, every Friday and Saturday this Holiday Season, get 2 Hours of Free Parking when you use ParkMobile!  Download the App on your phone or use the WebApp at parkmobile.io.

Questions on Fines for Food?

Contact Jeff Padgett, Division Director of Parking & Traffic at jpadgett@burlingtonvt.gov or call the Parking Services office at 802-540-2380.

Feeding Chittenden is committed to providing food for everyone, creating community and cultivating opportunities.  As the largest direct service emergency food provider in Vermont, Feeding Chittenden is a program of Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity and serves over 12,000 people each year through programs that include the food access center and network, home delivery, culinary job training, hot meals, and the Good Food Truck. Visit www.feedingchittenden.org for more information.

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