These are parking meters that look so cool while serving a a good purpose that you’ll want to put money in.
On Tuesday, Council Member Mary Sheffield announced a partnership with the Greektown Preservation Society to create Detroit Donates—a new initiative that will allow the public to donate funds to organizations that serve the homeless in a unique way.
“Homelessness is a real issue and it can not be overlooked. On any given day there are approximately 2,700 people who are experiencing homelssness. And on an annual basis there are around 14,000 people that are experiencing homelessness,” said Sheffield.
Detroit Donates repurposed 17 parking meters and placed them in various public and private spaces throughout Downtown Detroit. The meters, freshly painted by local graffiti artist, Antonio “Shades” Agee, will allow passers by to deposit spare change to be donated to organizations that provide assistance in the form of transportation, housing, and job training.
To help raise even more funds the meters will also act as Wi-Fi hotspots, creating the opportunity to donate more than just pocket change. Further, additional support for Detroit Donates will come from corporate sponsorships.
Sheffield noted that “Some believe that the homeless are less than human—they believe they are some type of second class citizen. But homeless people are a part of our community. They are our neighbors. They are our brothers, sisters, mothers and daughters, and so we have to embrace them and help them and encourage them, and I believe this program will help do that.”
“The parking meters serve a dual purpose,” said Athina Papas of Greektown Preservation Society. “They are not only to collect loose change, but will also stand as a symbol for remembering those in need, with funds collected going to to organizations that provide assistance in the form of transportation, housing, and job training.”
In conjunction with the launch of this initiative, Councilwoman Sheffield will utilize the Homelessness Task Force, which will help select the benefitting organizations and provide a channel to direct funding to impactful programs.
According to Councilwoman Sheffield this idea is not new, and has been implemented in Washington DC, Denver, Indianapolis, and other cities.
So keep your eyes peeled for these funky meters around town, and give a little to those in need in the D.