Passengers on the OU shuttles will be able to use canned goods to waive bus fares and assist charity beginning today.

OU's Cleveland Area Rapid Transit services is teaming with The Salvation Army and The Christmas Store to provide food to families over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

CART services will provide boxes and drivers will inform passengers of the opportunity to donate canned foods in place of bus fees, said Kris Glenn, marketing and public relations specialist for Parking and Transit Services.

Although students with their OU IDs ride the CART system for free, the department is anticipating student donations due to the holiday atmosphere. Students without their IDs are charged 25 cents and other passengers are charged 50 cents. CART services provides transportation for nearly 7,000 passengers per day, Glenn said.

"It's actually the only mass transit for Norman," Glenn said.

The program will continue through Dec. 22. Goods collected before Nov. 22 will go to The Salvation Army for the Thanksgiving holiday. Anything collected after Nov. 22 will be donated to The Christmas Store, Glenn said.

This is the first year of the program, and the department hopes the event will turn into an annual charity food drive. The program is replacing "Fill the Trolley," an annual food drive the department formerly conducted, said Howard Cremeans, manager of operations for transportation services.

"We've done a lot of things in the past, like a canned food drive, but nothing of this magnitude," Cremeans said.

The program is serving as a great assistance to Norman and Oklahoma City families, said Crystal Lane, case manager for The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army is anticipating feeding 288 families and sending 576 boxes of food to elderly and disabled people who have registered for the service.

The Salvation Army normally spends close to $5,000 on food for the holidays. If the program is successful, a surplus of food will be given to families in need, Lane said.
hello there & you too