LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky students have a unique way to pay off parking ticket fines they receive on campus.

What You Need To Know

  • The University of Kentucky’s Transportation Services has been hosting a “Donation for Citation” food drive for the past week

  • All food items are donated to the Big Blue Pantry, which helps students 

  • Donations for Citations is simple: donate 10 canned or five personal care items and you don’t have to pay a $30 parking ticket

  • The drive runs through Nov. 1

The University of Kentucky’s Transportation Services has been hosting a “Donation for Citation” food drive for the past week, with all food items then donated to the Big Blue Pantry.

Since 2014, the Big Blue Pantry has been giving UK students in need access to food, no questions asked.

“If a person doesn’t have the ability to have family support or some kind of financial resources that they can depend on then they may end up coming to visit us,” said Andrew Perkins, pantry director.

Perkins said the pantry has a budget from the university, but donations make up a large amount of its supply.

“Folks can donate to the Big Blue Pantry at any time and we’ll accept just about anything as long as it is new and unopened,” Perkins said.

One of their biggest food drives is the Donations for Citations drive hosted by UK’s Transportation Services Department, typically hosted in the spring.

“Fall is a time where we don’t have a lot of drives, especially early in the fall semester,” Perkins said.

Donations for Citations is simple: donate 10 canned or five personal care items and you don’t have to pay a $30 parking ticket.

“Citations are a necessary evil to make sure that you can change behavior, but this is a way of if we give a citation, you can change the behavior through the issued citation but still put a positive spin on it,” said Lance Broeking, transportation services director.

Broeking said the weeklong fall drive has been popular and will still be holding their two week long drive this spring.

“Something I think a lot of people don’t really think about that there’s food insecurity among some of our students, so it’s kind of a hidden issue that’s out there. So it’s a way of also bringing visibility to an issue is super important on campus,” Broeking said.

Perkins says the pantry serves students with a moderate-to-severe need of food.

“All we ask is students limit their visits to the pantry three times a month. If they’re in a situation where they need more than that, we can work with them to connect them with other resources,” Broeking said.

The drive runs through Nov. 1.

Big Blue Pantry accepts donations year around, they are located in the basement of White Hall Classroom Building. On Nov. 8, the pantry will be moved to the basement of Frazee Hall.

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