Food for Fines: a record-breaking fall campaign

Ashley Steiger, Compliance Officer, and Robert Dowell, Administration Coordinator, UBC Okanagan Parking

This fall, the Parking teams on the Okanagan and Vancouver campuses once again ran their valued Food for Fines programs—both breaking donation records in support of our two campus food banks, the SUO Pantry and the AMS Food Bank.

Okanagan: nearly 2,400 food items donated

On the Okanagan campus, during Food for Fines (one month long in November and February annually), community members who donate non-expired, non-perishable food receive half off fines owing.

In November 2025, UBC Okanagan Parking brought in 2,397 food items for the SUO Pantry, which translates to over $6,310 in forgiven parking fines.

This amount set a new donation record for the department, thanks to incredible work by Parking team members Ashley Steiger and Robert Dowell to promote and run the campaign and strong engagement from the UBC Okanagan community.

“Ashley and Robert are the two who really drove this for us,” says Jeff Joyce, Manager, UBCO Parking, “from talking it up with people who called or visited the office to plastering campus with posters and more.”

Learn more about Food for Fines at UBCO, which is on again until the end of February.

“This is hands down my favourite thing that we do as a department each year and one of the benefits of working for a parking operation on a university campus.”

— Jeff Joyce, Manager, UBCO Parking

Vancouver: over $6,400 donated

On the Vancouver campus, during Food for Fines (five days long in November and March annually), community members can pay half of their parking fines and the rest is waived. Then UBC Parking donates the full amount (the paid 50% + a matched 50%) to the AMS Food Bank.

From November 3 to 7, 2025, UBC Parking collected $3,214, which allowed them to donate $6,428—their largest donation to date!

“Roberto and team have done an awesome job of raising money and awareness for the AMS Food Bank,” says Brian Jones, Director, UBC Bookstore, Campus Mail and Parking.

Thank you to our Parking colleagues

Thank you and congratulations to everyone in UBC Parking—on the Okanagan and Vancouver campuses—for the continued work on these long-standing campaigns that have helped address student food insecurity at UBC for many years.