Just before Christmas, I had a discussion with a friend about how hard it was to feed the poor. As Catholics, we often read accounts of the saints that inspire us to imitate their holiness- accounts of women starting soup kitchens with nothing, feeding the hungry from their back door, simply picking up the dying off the street and loving them as they pass into the next life.
We were lamenting how difficult it seems to do this today, how even where there was a will, there seems to no way. My friend was sharing how, after she found out that there were 100 homeless children at her local elementary school, she was unable to help. She couldn’t get word out to their families about food pantries. She couldn’t send food for them to take home on weekends, when the children had no access to free lunch. She couldn’t let them know about programs offered through their church that might be able to help the families get back on their feet.
So often we’re told we can’t help, but that we should put our efforts into institutions. Even faith-based food pantries and other ministries steer people in the direction of institutional based solutions. My own food pantry supported by my church and other area churches required their clients to apply for food stamps and would not give so much as a can of green beans to anyone who shows up without first providing proof of residence, social security cards, and birth certificates.
Think that’s a fluke?
How about this story of Houston Christians, who went to hungry people and gave them food.
The city stepped in to stop that craziness. No sharing a sandwich and a granola bar with a friend-all food must be prepared in a certified kitchen with a certified kitchen manager.
For a year, the Herrings have been feeding 60-120 people every night. On their own, without asking for public funds or a grant from the city. Now, those people will have to go without their meal and the love that came with it. For their own protection, of course.
I can understand the city’s stance- they do want to protect people, especially the vulnerable, from tainted food. But if our government isn’t able to provide safe, certified food do they have the right to tell citizens they can’t share their extra, surplus food? If our taxes aren’t going to alleviate hunger in the city, should our taxes be used to also shut down people who are alleviating hunger on their own?
At what point, also, does this violate the free expression of religion? Feeding the hungry has long been a Christian duty and tradition. Does our local government have the right to restrict the practice of giving food the hungry and drink to the thirsty?
Is feeding the hungry now going to become a matter of civil disobedience?
What do you think?
Updated to add:
Cost of Houston’s Food Managers Certification class: $70
Cost for Food Dealing Permit for registered non-profits: $20
Cost to rent a commercial kitchen in Houston for 40 hours per month: $640
A charitable group, prepping food everyday and complying with these laws would have to pay over $700 a month extra – just to comply with the bureaucracy.
One has to wonder if protecting the homeless from homemade food is the only motivator.
Karen (1)
Raso @ lasagnarec... (1)
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Yes all of that is true and it is definitely a tragedy. I have been butting my head against these very things for years. Not only is it hard to feed them, it is hard to just simply volunteer if you are not over a certain age, even when with a parent. What you can do, legally though, is drive around and give out food. I have checked with both the city and the county and they do not regulate that. Now you can not stop on private or city property without a permit, but you can drive on the streets and hand out food. Or park you car in a public parking lot, put the food on your person and walk to deliver it. Of course, you might get stopped by police and told you can’t do that either.
This reminds me so much of my days as a lunchlady. The district would rather see a plate of food go in the trash than to a student who couldnt pay for it. It was part of my job to take those trays out of the kids hands when they got to the register and had no money. Then I had to throw the food away because it had been touched by the student.
I know in our area of Kentucky, we had several churches come together to offer a free meal each month. Those were closed by the local health department because the food was prepared in individual homes and then brought to the church. The church had to comply with the food service inspections and have all food prepared there in order to continue.
We now do a community potluck because church potlucks are exempt from the regulations. We advertise as a potluck but people are welcome whether they bring a dish or not.
It might seem frustrating, but there are sooo many programs to help people that they can get food if they truly need it; and I think it’s great that your church requires people to apply for food stamps. Not only to cut down on people taking advantage who don’t really need assistance, but the primary reason people are steered towards institutions is because institutions can help them get out of poverty–lend a hand up, not just a hand out, if you will. If you just manage people in their poverty, what good does that do? Is it respecting them as a person made in God’s image?
If you truly want to make a difference, I suggest developing authentic friendships with people in need so that you can share your faith (and food) within the context of fellowship.
I don’t think it’s great for a food pantry to deny food to someone because they cannot produce a social security card. I think it’s shameful.
Often the marginalized in our society are afraid of government institutions. Food stamps aren’t available to people with no addresses, no ID, single men with no families.
I’ve personally been in the food stamp system. There’s no “hand up”- and it can be a frustrating, soul crushing, and depressing experience.
I do agree with developing personal relationships, though.
Our church looked into the idea of starting a soup kitchen, but in that particular suburb, you have to have a full restaurant-grade kitchen with a restaurant-license to distribute soup. I can only assume it’s designed that way to shuttle more people into the system, away from private charities.
Oh, don’t get me started.
You can’t hand out food. Even if it’s packaged food that I get cheap couponing.
Food Stamps are impossible to get without documentation even if you do have a home. And soul crushing experience just describes the paperwork.
Would I do it as an act of civil disobedience? I hope so. 25 years ago as a single mom I lugged my 4 kids to downtown Ft. Lauderdale every Saturday morning to participate in our church ministry. Our pastor was known as “The Bread Man” as he passed out surplus bread donated by local distributors. He had a route, picking up leftovers from the hospital and restaurants in 5 gallon buckets that we supplied. The food would go into our walk-in freezer in our warehouse and then we would make artful combinations in our steam cooker and cook rice or pasta or potatoes (mixed with a drill) over homemade burners in huge pots, pack them in coolers and serve after preaching and before passing out grocery bags of donated food and clothes. We sat down and ate right along with everyone and no one ever got sick. We did, however, form lifelong relationships and saw lives changed, including our own. I wouldn’t trade those 7 years for anything. I hope you all can find a way to partake of the same kind of blessings with your families.
@Wendy–I know someone with several children who was in great need but couldn’t receive food stamps etc. because her husband was paranoid and refused to give anyone his social security #. I think there are a lot of people like that.
Also, it seems like private charities, not institutions, do a much better job at giving a hand up out of poverty. I’m not knocking people who take go9vernment assistance–sometimes it’s necessary–but there are plenty who grew up on Welfare and support their own families that way because it’s the only way they know. A church soup kitchen, on the other hand, can offer personal or spiritual help as well as food–much more likely to turn someone’s life around.
@RH- I think there are lots of people who don’t want to be in the system for whatever reason.
When we moved to TX, one of our boxes got lost. A couple of the kids SS cards were among the lost papers, as well as birth certificates. I still need to replace one kid’s card. He has a number, which we use on taxes- but no CARD.
It’s really discouraging to read comments like Wendy’s above. This whole premise of making it difficult to lend a helping hand is just sad. A friend of mine wanted to make sack lunches and bring them to a local school and I had to tell her we would never be allowed to give the food to students because of reasons listed above.
It’s a sad world we live in…
Today my son is at his Private Catholic School preparing sandwhiches for the homeless/hungry.
I would be horrified if our state/city decided to shut this down. The kids are doing good for others and serving their community. How sad it is that we live in a time that sharing and serving others is not allowed.
Jesus never qualified people to receive help — remember the loaves and fishes — and never required anything in return. This is how to live. I give a little here and there — sometimes money, sometimes food — and I am none the poorer. My monthly food budget for our family of five is $500/month — sans gluten and many processed foods. If we can share, nearly anyone can. It always comes back exponentially.
Alot of people hit on the problems with Wendy’s statement, and I have to chime in with just one more thing. How many of us have had a few bad months where maybe food stamps wouldn’t be necessary, and needed to feed our families? My family was always fortunate enough that that never happened, and in a pinch we had family members to help. There are plenty of people who hit rough spots and don’t NEED to be in the system, but need some short-term help. And we are telling them that they do not deserve it because they’re not NEEDY enough. How terrible.
Mary Alice, that is so sad!
Wendy, the problem with requiring food stamps to be eligible for a soup kitchen or food pantry is that some people make too much to be elligible, but are still starving. Like the working poor, who make too much money to be eligible for programs so they spend every last cent of theirs on health insurance, etc. Those people need things most, because they dont even have food stamps to help them.
Milehighmama- this is absolutely disgusting. I bet if politicians ever starved, they’d legislate differently.
I also think too many people forget the family is prior to the state and the state’s intrusion into people’s lives, especially in the case of social services, violates the family’s dignity. Is it REALLY better to have people eating out of garbage cans and children sent to bed with growling bellies than to hand out food? I am also troubled by this. I can’t imagine HOW someone could argue against it? How do the justify it? How do they sleep at night?
I am starting an organization called “Essentials of Life” to provide food, medicine, etc… to poverty stricken people in the Philippine Islands. Anyone interested in learning more and/or contributing, please email me directly at qatar_mike@hotmail.com. The poorest U.S. citizen is well of in comparison to what i’ve personally witnessed travelling in the Philippines. PLEASE HELP
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