TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - A college student in Traverse City has come up with a way to help needy people: food instead of a parking fine.
Kelsea Cole, 22, wants people to be able to donate food instead of paying parking fines at certain times of the year. She said she was inspired by seeing tickets on cars downtown while working as a baker at Grand Traverse Pie Co.
She also got her own ticket before Christmas when she forgot to refill a meter while studying at a coffee shop.
“After getting my ticket I thought this has to happen,” Cole told the Traverse City Record-Eagle (https://bit.ly/2jmg1i8 ). “There has to be some alternative for people working downtown and getting tickets and going to school and getting tickets.”
Traverse City parking administrator Nicole VanNess supports the idea, but that view might not be unanimous. Rob Bacigalupi, director of the Downtown Development Authority, said there are other parking and mobility priorities. Cole said she’ll make a pitch to the City Commission.
In Lexington, Kentucky, parking violators who bring in 10 cans of food between November and December get $15 off their tickets.
“People hate paying parking tickets but they love helping the hungry,” said Gary Means, director of the Lexington Parking Authority.
Mike Busley, owner of Grand Traverse Pie, said he’s onboard with Cole, his employee.
“We would be happy to match the first 100 cans that come in,” he said.
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Information from: Traverse City Record-Eagle, https://www.record-eagle.com
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