Originally published 2019-08-11.
Yes, for one week in July 2019, drivers in Muncie, Indiana, really could settle a parking ticket with cat food. From 15 to 19 July, the Muncie Police Department accepted donations of cat food, kitten food or cat litter worth the value of a ticket, and passed them to Muncie Animal Care and Services, the city shelter, which was caring for around 350 cats at the time. A $30 ticket, for example, could be cleared with $30 of supplies.
The campaign has since ended, and it was never a permanent rule. But it became one of the most shared local-government stories of that summer, and it is a good example of how a small city can join up two needs in a single, simple offer.
Why the shelter needed help
Midsummer is "kitten season" in much of the United States. Cats breed heavily in spring and early summer, and shelters fill with litters of kittens and pregnant mothers that need food, litter, vaccinations and foster homes. By mid-July 2019 the Muncie shelter was overrun, with roughly 350 cats and kittens in its care and supplies running dangerously low.
The police department announced its plan on Twitter on 15 July with a short explanation: the shelter was overwhelmed, and officers wanted to help. Donations could be dropped off at the shelter, or residents could arrange for officers to collect them from home.
How the parking-ticket swap worked
- Who could take part: anyone holding a Muncie parking ticket during the campaign week.
- What counted: cat food, kitten food or kitty litter.
- How much: supplies equal in value to the fine on the ticket.
- Deadline: Friday 19 July 2019 at 4 p.m.
The arrangement applied only to parking tickets and only to that week. It did not cover moving violations or other fines, and it is not something drivers can assume elsewhere. If you have a ticket today, the normal payment rules of your city apply unless your local authority announces a special drive.
What the posts showed
The police tweet and the shelter's own Facebook updates carried the campaign. Some of those posts have since been removed, but the announcement and one shelter photo remain below.
(The Facebook post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
Pay your parking tickets in cat food!
— Muncie Police (@MunciePolice) July 15, 2019
Until Friday the 19th at 4 PM we are allowing folks to pay their parking tickets in cat food, kitten food, or kitty litter! Bring a donation in the amount of your ticket. The @MuncieACS is overrun with cats and kittens. We want to help! pic.twitter.com/mtwYzLdlCs
(The Facebook post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
(The Facebook post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
(The Facebook post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
(The Facebook video originally embedded here is no longer available.)
The result: more donations than tickets
The response surprised everyone. By the end of July the department's video explaining the offer had been watched more than 35,000 times and shared hundreds of times. Officers reported that most of the people bringing in cat food and litter did not have a parking ticket at all; they simply wanted to help.
The police posted photos of a storage room stacked with bags and boxes, with a caption that summed it up: "This room was almost empty before we started!" Shelter office manager Ashley Honeycutt described the response as overwhelming and said staff were grateful, though she did not know whether the department would repeat the idea.
Similar programmes in other cities
Muncie was not the first city to try this. Earlier in 2019, Las Vegas let drivers pay some parking fines with school supplies for local students, and in 2016 the city ran a holiday version that accepted toys. Other places have held "food for fines" drives at libraries and town halls, usually around the holidays. They tend to work for the same reasons: the fine is small, the need is local and visible, and people like seeing their money go somewhere useful.
They also carry trade-offs. Every ticket settled with donations is revenue a city does not collect in cash, so most programmes are short, capped, or limited to parking fines. That is why they remain occasional events rather than standing policy.
Timing matters as well. Muncie's offer arrived in the middle of kitten season, when the shelter's need was most urgent and most visible, and it was framed as a short, friendly challenge rather than a lecture. A clear deadline, a clear list of accepted items and a home pick-up option made it easy to say yes, which goes a long way towards explaining why so many people without tickets joined in.
How to help a shelter without a parking ticket
The best lesson from Muncie is that people were happy to give once someone asked clearly. You do not need a fine to do the same:
- Check the wish list. Many shelters post the exact food, litter and supplies they need on their websites or social media.
- Donate everyday items. Old towels and blankets are often welcome, but ask first.
- Foster during kitten season. Temporary homes free up space and save lives when shelters are full.
- Spay and neuter. Fewer unplanned litters means less pressure on shelters every summer.
- Adopt. Every adoption opens a place for another animal in need.
Muncie's campaign lasted just five days. Its real legacy is the full supply room and the reminder that a bit of creativity from public institutions can bring out a lot of generosity.
Sources: 10News / Don't Waste Your Money, July 2019: Police let residents pay parking tickets with donations to animal shelter; Muncie Police on Twitter, 15 July 2019; Muncie Police Department. Embedded posts: Muncie Police and Muncie Animal Care and Services.
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