Free Parking Downtown During Holiday Season Raised $11,488 For Kawartha Food Share

Any money put in the meter during the holiday season when free 2 hour parking was in place went to charity, and generous shoppers stepped up bigtime with their donations. 

Indeed, Peterborough raised a whopping $11,488 for Kawartha Food Share this year through the funds put in meters.

Photo via @brendanwedley

The City of Peterborough’s parking division and the Downtown Business Improvement Area have partnered since 2003 on this free parking initiative, with money put in the meter going to charity each year.

"Once again our community has shown its tremendous generosity," says Mayor Daryl Bennett. "By putting money in the parking machines downtown in December, we are helping to feed people in our community through the efforts of Kawartha Food Share. Thank you to all of the people and downtown businesses that supported this initiative."

Photo via @jamiecsteel

“We could not be more excited to be the recipients of the holiday parking funds again this year!” adds Ashlee Aitken, General Manager of Kawartha Food Share, which assists more than 8,100 men, women and children every month through 36 member agencies.

“This donation comes at a perfect time as we begin to restock our shelves after the very busy holidays and continue to ensure that everyone in Peterborough City and County has safe and reliable access to emergency food."

Photo courtesy DBIA

“We’ve had a very successful holiday shopping season downtown and we’re grateful that we can give back to those who are facing some challenges here in our community,” says DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel. “Kawartha Food Share provides an important service to many people and we’re happy to see the donation from our downtown shoppers go to such a good cause.”
 
So far, $119,878.41 has been raised over the years for charity from people putting money in the meters during free parking holiday season.

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Downtown Shoppers In Peterborough Donate $10,278.85 To Kawartha Food Share

The generous shoppers of downtown Peterborough gave $10,278.85 to support Kawartha Food Share during the 2016 Holiday Season.
 
The City of Peterborough’s parking division and the Downtown Business Improvement Area have partnered since 2003 to provide two hours free parking downtown through the holiday season. The initiative starts on Black Friday and runs through to the end of December. During this time, all money put in the parking meters is donated to charity.

(L to R): Parking Operations Supervisor Dennis VanAmerongen, Mayor Daryl Bennett, George — King of Downtown, Transit Supervisor Andrew Burdett , DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel, Kawartha Food Share board chair Dave Ralph

"Thank you to everyone who put money in the parking meters to support Kawartha Food Share during the downtown free parking program over the holiday season," says Mayor Daryl Bennett. "This small program has made a big difference in the lives of so many of our City's residents over the years."

“It has been a successful shopping season for local downtown businesses and it’s wonderful to see our shoppers also supporting the great work of Kawartha Food Share,” adds DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel. “It’s amazing that people donating their parking meter change adds up to more than $100,000 over the years to support those in need in our community.”
 
Kawartha Food Share currently assists more than 8,100 men women and children every month through 36 member agencies. Last year, the warehouse distributed over 5 million dollars worth of food and emergency care needs.

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