Avoid late fees; donate food

From Thursday through Dec. 22, Salem is waiving the late fee for any motorist paying an outstanding parking fine in exchange for the motorist donating two cans of food. All collected foods are donated to the city’s food pantries. This marks the third year the city has offered the initiative. “Over the last two years, this program has been a great success generating additional revenues for the city, while also giving people a break during the holiday season and producing a large amount of food for local food pantries when demand has never been higher,” Jason Silva, chief of staff to Mayor Kimberley L. Driscoll, said in an e-mail. - John Laidler