Food for Fines is a long-standing community program run by the library as a way for the community to pay it off and pay it forward at the same time.
From Nov. 14 - 25, you're invited to bring a non-perishable item to the library and receive $1 off your overdue fines. However, food cannot be used to pay for lost or damaged books or membership fees.
Library manager Lesley Sackett Winfield adds that “families in need can always get a certificate for a free library membership at the food bank, the Town of Olds or Healthy Families.”
All donations will assist the Mountain View Food Bank. The food bank has a bigger demand for items for kids' lunches and hygiene items rather than boxes of cereal at the time of publication.
Some ideas for donations include juice boxes, fruit snacks and granola bars. Shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste are also welcome donations.
Why not get creative? Put together a themed bag based around a recipe such as: Noodle bake -- macaroni, tinned salmon, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and dill; Simple salad -- couscous, black beans, boullion, salsa, corn and cumin; Cookies -- flour, rolled oats, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, raisins and shortening.
Want help getting creative with limited ingredients?
A small but enthusiastic group of home cooks gets together each month at the library to swap recipes and share their experiences.
This Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m., Tasty Pages, the cookbook club, will be talking about recipes with five ingredients or less. Join them at 5217 52nd St. at the library.
Recommended reading at your library:
The affordable feasts collection:
Budget-Friendly Family Meals by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen.
Dinner Survival by Sandi Richard.
- Nisch is a marketing coordinator for the Olds Municipal Library.
All donations will assist the Mountain View Food Bank.
