Larry J. Cohen, executive director of the Lancaster Parking Authority, demonstrates the charity meter in the Prince Street Parking Garage on Friday.
The Lancaster Parking Authority is asking users of its garages to plug the meters to benefit local charities.
The public authority has installed red meters -- one each in the Prince Street and Penn Square garages -- to collect coins for charitable organizations.
The initial recipient of the "Change for Change" program will be the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Larry Cohen, Lancaster Parking Authority executive director, said the meters will remain in the garages throughout the year. The benefiting charity and signs on the meters indicating the charity will change about every two months.
"It's nice if you've got a nickel, dime or a quarter, if you've got change in your pocket," Cohen said of the program.
All proceeds collected will go to the charity, he said.
The initial meters are were placed in areas with the highest levels of pedestrian traffic, Cohen said. They are at the Orange Street elevators in the Prince Street garage and in the Penn Square garage at the walkway to the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square hotel and the Lancaster County Convention Center.
Cohen anticipates expanding the program to the authority's three other public parking garages in coming months.
"Hopefully, the community responds to it," Cohen said of the program.
The meters were placed in garages on Nov. 2, he said. By the following Monday morning, $10 had been collected in small change, he said.
The meters being used for the program are curbside units previously used by the authority.
