Library manager Sonya Lange said the Food for Fines program ran for the first time last year and received a big reaction from the community.

“We’ve also had some lovely people donate some gift cards to the supermarkets and some cash, so that would probably bring it well above what we did last year I would imagine,” Sonya said.

“We’ve had a good response this year and had only about $40 worth of fines paid off.”

“It’s the opportunity for people to pay off their fines but by and large people have just made a donation, which is really nice. 

“This has been done in other libraries. Last year someone sent me a link to an article about another library that had done it, so we ran it by council and they were happy to do it so we started it here.

“It’s not a new idea but it’s a nice idea.”

Major Helen Pearson collected the groceries on Monday morning and said they would be distributed today.

“It’s wonderful, thank you Inverell and thank you to the library for doing it that way,” Helen said.

She laughed when asked if she had any sympathy for those who got out of paying their fines.

“Everyone should pay their fines, and they are really paying their fines, aren’t they?” she said.

“I guess some people don’t even realise they’ve got them, I suppose, until the letter arrives.”

Helen said there 30-plus families in the Inverell district who will depend on the Salvos to make this Christmas a little bit merrier.