Trade food for fines at Aurora library this November

Remember that novel you borrowed this summer from the Aurora Public Library?

You know, the one you were going to read while the kids were playing at the pool. The one you never got to, the one you stuck on the shelf, the one you -- oh, no! -- forgot to return.

It won't come as any great shock, but the library wants its book back.

Here's the good news: You can return it anytime next month and avoid paying at least part of the fine. And the librarians won't even give you that "tsk-tsk" look you probably deserve.

All you've got to do is bring in a nonperishable food item or two to make up for it, library officials said.

It's part of the library's "Food for Fines" drive, which begins Nov. 1 and runs through the end of the month at its three facilities.

The idea is simple: For each can of food you bring in, the library knocks $1 off your fine, up to $5.

So here's your chance to return that book, save a little cash and make sure some of your neighbors can get extra help from food pantries run by the Salvation Army, 437 E. Galena Blvd., and Holy Angels Parish, 204 S. Russell Ave.

The Salvation Army pantry provides emergency help for struggling families by offering enough food for two or three days, Development Director Bill VanWyngaarden said.

The pantry served 159 families -- or about 500 people -- in September. It's open twice a week and carefully rations its distributions based on the number of people in each family.

Even with those restrictions, the facility was overwhelmed with requests as recently as Monday and had to close an hour early, VanWyngaarden said.

The Holy Angels pantry, meanwhile, is open four days a week and supplies about 1,200 bags of food a month to Aurora-area families, according to its Web site.

That kind of need in and around the Aurora community is one reason the library has sponsored some version of its food program for many years, Eola Road branch manager Elizabeth Bumgarner says.

"We usually do it in November to help the pantries prepare for the holiday season and then again in March to help restock them after the holidays," she said.

It's a way to encourage people to pay off their fines (15 cents a day for books up to a total of $5; $1 a day for videos and DVDs), and to give others a chance to contribute -- even if they've never had an overdue item in their lives.

"I've had moms bring their children in just to have them donate food with the idea of helping people in need," Bumgarner said. "They begin to learn to be generous and to help the needy."

Last year the library collected 7,147 food items that volunteers then brought to pantries during weekly visits.

That doesn't mean patrons necessarily were that much in arrears, Bumgarner says; it's not unusual for folks to bring in five or six cans of food to cover a $1 fine.

This year the library staff is hoping to collect even more -- with the proviso that nobody needs a damaged or rusty can or food that's past its expiration date.

"We'd like everyone to be as generous as they can be to help feed the needy," Bumgarner said. "We're happy to get their donations."

How to help

You can drop off your food donations at all Aurora Public Library facilities from Nov. 1 through 30. The sites:

• Eola Road Branch, 555 S. Eola Road; Info: (630) 264-3400

• Main Library, 1 E. Benton St.; Info: (630) 264-4100

• West Branch, 233 S. Constitution Drive; Info: (630) 264-3600