A police department in Muncie, Indiana is making waves worldwide with their amazing initiative that encourages motorists to pay off their fines by dropping off food donations at the police station.
Muncie Police Department recently developed an ingenious way to encourage drivers to pay off their pending parking tickets and support their local animal welfare all in one go.
The officers at the Muncie Police Department went on an educational tour at their nearby animal care service. They quickly realised that the animal services were in dire need of support and donation after visiting their 350 cats in need of food and a good home.
The department decided to partner with the animal service and an amazing initiative was born.
Via Facebook, the police department announced that as part of their new partnership with Muncie Animal Care & Services, motorists could temporarily pay off their outstanding fines in the form of food donations for animals in need over the next four days.
“If you have a $25 parking ticket, you can bring up to $25 worth of cat food or litter to the Clerk’s Office and you can get your parking ticket to go away with the exchange of the donation, ” Officer Jamie Browns announced in a Facebook video.
Before they knew it, their store rooms were bursting with piles of cat and dog food. Locals poured in to pay their fines as they felt they it was no longer just a chore but rather something good they could do for the community and animals in need.
In a matter of days almost all of the outstanding fines had been paid and the Muncie Animal Care & Services could feed their hundreds of hungry mouths with ease.
Beyond paying their parking tickets, the departments initiative also encouraged community members without tickets to come and donate.
A number of police officers even adopted some cats and the department encouraged locals to do the same.
The community was stunned by the amazing gesture and the department was commended across social media, making international news by simply going the extra mile to do something for their community and animals in need.
South Africa could certainly do with four days or even a week of the same initiative.
Pictures: Muncie Police Department