Giving Nova Scotians a reason to love parking meters

Feeding the meter has become a much more enjoyable task in one Nova Scotia town now that three special parking meters are collecting spare change for charity.

The so-called kindness meters in downtown Truro have collected more than $2,000 for local charitable organizations since they were installed a year ago by members of the Bible Hill Kinsmen.

Giving old meters new life

There is no paid parking in downtown Truro, so the bright red meters — which are located in prominent walking areas — stand out.

The Kinsmen were able to get the used meters from town officials and repurpose them.

"They actually had some old parking meters still kicking around," said organizer Quinn McCarthy.

Different approach in N.B.

McCarthy said he first heard about kindness meters in Fredericton, where they were put in place by the local business association to discourage panhandling in the downtown area.

In this case, McCarthy said, the Kinsmen decided to split the money between three local charities — changing those charities every six months or so.

• Fredericton's kindness meters boost revenue to shelters

Success story

Truro's kindness meters are currently collecting donations for the Colchester Christmas Index Program, The Salvation Army's Community Café, and the local chapter of ElderDog Canada.

The first year of fundraising has gone well, McCarthy said. The last group of three charities to benefit from the project received a little more than $200 each.

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