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Got a parking ticket? In some cities, you can pay for it with school supplies or cat food.

Marisa Iati

August 13, 2019 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Muncie, Indiana

Across the United States, cities are letting residents pay off their parking tickets with donations to local organizations. For set periods of time, cities like Muncie and Las Vegas write off traffic tickets – as long as they aren’t related to public safety – when residents donate things like cat food to the local cat shelter, or school supplies to educational organizations. The initiatives have been such a success that people from around the country are sending in their donations, even without the trade-off of a paid parking ticket.

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Campus Thrift Stores

Nick Fiorellini

July 03, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Annadale-on-Hudson, New York

Recycling and repurposing second hand items helps to reduce a community’s carbon footprint. At Bard College in New York, the FreeUse Store collects second hand items from students and redistributes them free of charge to members of the community. Run by the university’s Office of Sustainably, the program provides a model for using campus bins to recycle textiles and other items to reduce landfill use.

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In Uganda, Threatened Chimps Find Protection in Former Poachers

Michele Catanzaro

May 01, 2019 |

Undark |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Budongo forest

In Western Uganda’s Budongo forest, the Budongo Conservation Field Station is saving chimpanzees by giving poachers the opportunity to do something different. The organization operates on two levels: First, employing former poachers to help scour the forest in search of traps, and second, by giving poachers goats in an effort to provide them with enough livelihood to stop poaching.

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Some states reuse tons of unused prescription drugs; Maine burns them

Jon Chrisos

April 29, 2019 |

WGME-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Iowa

Every year, unused medications are thrown away costing states millions of dollars. A program in Iowa that has now spread to other states throughout the nation is tackling this issue by recycling and repurposing these drugs so that they can be distributed to populations that wouldn't otherwise be able to access them.

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The library of things: could borrowing everything from drills to disco balls cut waste and save money?

Leo Benedictus

April 24, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: England, Oxford

From London to Vancouver, across the globe libraries of things are popping up to rent out common, but rare-to-use, household objects. Items include telescopes, lawn mowers, ice cream makers, power drills, you name it. These volunteer-led shops take reservations online and lease the items at no or low-cost to the user, all while strengthening the sharing economy and reducing waste.

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Barber pays kids to read a book during haircut to boost literacy, confidence

Megan Yoder

April 22, 2019 |

KUSA-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Kutztown, Pennsylvania

City Cuts is a special barbershop in Kutztown, PA that, in addition to being a barbershop, is simultaneously running an internationally-acclaimed literacy program for kids. Barber Jon Escueta gives young clients $3 to read a book aloud to him during their haircut for a program he calls Books for Kids, which boosts confidence in public speaking and literacy. When a video of a client reading to a City Cuts barber went viral, Books for Kids starting receiving hundreds of donations of money and books from around the world, and the kids themselves love and respect the program as well.

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Independence police finding new ways to tackle homelessness

Kevin Holmes

April 16, 2019 |

KSHB-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Independence, Missouri

The Independence, Missouri police department is taking an empathy-first approach to homelessness in the city. Instead of making arrests for trespassing or other crimes associated with homelessness, police officers work with the individuals to provide them with the resources they need to get back on their feet.

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Woman's Co-op in Battle Creek's Post-Franklin Neighborhood provides a support system for women

Jane Simons

April 04, 2019 |

Second Wave Michigan |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Battle Creek, Michigan

The Woman's Co-op in Battle Creek, Michigan addresses a wide array of needs for women in the community, including food, clothing, transportation, housing, and childcare. The co-op offers free services, including assistance with utility payments; advocacy in the court system; and better parenting technique.

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How a laundry room revolutionized a New Jersey high school

Jeff Glor

March 26, 2019 |

CBS News |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Newark, New Jersey

After high school principle Akbar Cook realized that students weren't coming to school because they were embarrassed about wearing dirty clothing, he created a school laundry room with 5 commercial-grade washers and dryers. He also started a program called Lights On that leaves the school open in the evenings on Friday's to offer a recreational space with warm meals for students who have working parents or have to take care of siblings. Grateful students say that Mr. Cook had a big impact on the school and the neighborhood.

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“The Price on Everything Is Love”: How a Detroit Community Overcomes a Lack of City Services

Kevon Paynter

July 19, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In response to a decline in city services, local Detroiters have begun providing for neighbors out of a sense of goodwill. Detroiters Helping Each Other distributes donated items, ranging from school supplies to beds and winter clothing. The Detroit Mowers Gang is another local group that cleans up the city by caring for vacant lawns. There are other similar organizations that rely on community buy-in and a sense of care to succeed, and recipients of donations pay it forward by volunteering on other community projects.

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