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Feeding the Homeless Illegal in Raleigh NC. "You pass out that food, you will go to jail."

This morning we showed up at Moore Square at 9:00 a.m., just like we have done virtually every Saturday and Sunday for the last six years. We provide, without cost or obligation, hot coffee and a breakfast sandwich to anyone who wants one. We keep this promise to our community in cooperation with five different large suburban churches that help us with manpower and funding.


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on the surface

I operate a soup kitchen.. I care so much about feeding homeless people, I paid the $156.00, got my HACCP certificate, and continue to feed the homeless.

I understand why the government does what it does. I don't think it's right, but I'm not going to let the governemnt stop me from feeding people.. so it seems to me, these people don't care as much as I do.. they are an act.. otherwise, they would do what they need to do to comply and get back to work.. that should not stop them from saying they don't agree.. they can write petitions, write congress, get it on the ballot.. but don't stop feeding people in the name of government protest.. that's hurting the homeless even more. Not hurting the government at all.

What's the name of the soup kitchen

And where is it? I might know some people that are hungry.

For Freedom!

The Gleanings

We alrady serve way more than any I know in the county.

In sultana CA?

That's your kitchen?

For Freedom!


I'm in Mendocino CA line up at 12 noon sharp
Our Lady of Good Council Parrish Hall on Maple Street

Look forward to seeing your friends!!!

It's only you who keeps

It's only you who keeps harping about operating an establishment. These people were not operating any establishment. They were going around in public giving homeless people food. It's your problem that you feel the need to obey all laws and think that people need to be governed. Let others do what they want.

Please come join my forum if you're not a trendy and agree with my points of view.


Should I stop feeding 100 homeless people because the government says I need a certificate?

Do what you want.. you go to jail I don't give a crap Hope you enjoy your stay. I'm feeding the homeless what are you doing?

What are your motives for

What are your motives for doing what you do? What does it say to others when you go around saying crap like "I'm doing , what are you doing?" It shows on some level, you do it to shove it in the face of others.

I don't do anything, and I couldn't care less about anyone else but myself. There is no reason why people should be starving. It's not greed of some global elite. The starving are just lazy. If you have no friends or family that will help you, you really have to be some kind of scum bag to be at the point of living on the streets.


Does all gift giving require a permit then?

What if I order french fries and my friend asks for one. Do I need a permit for that too? What if my friend gets sick from that fry?

What if

your friend gets sick and you don't? Hope your friend does not press charges on you for attempted murder.

All soup kitchens are regulated or will be http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1578&Ch...

there's one of these for evry state.. and regulation are soon going to apply to pot lucks..

In my area, charities can get around regulation by limiting events to 12 times per year. All it takes is one whistleblower and the fins go up.. you would be amazed at how many homeless will blow the whistle on a soup kitchen.

whats really ...

going on here is that the government feels the need to be part of every transaction between two parties. If I have a guest over to my house for dinner i do not need a permit. My guest is taking the risk of eating food I have prepared. (not saying I don't cook good food) But really, would you rather have people suffer FOR SURE because they have no food? or would it be better to take the risk and eat something, and MAYBE get sick?

-Robert Green Ingersoll

I agree

Why let the governemnt stop you from feeding people?

What you do at this point at your home is your business. If you feed someone at your home food and they get sick and die, you will be charged with murder. The state will get involved.

I took the tests, I paid to get the certificates and licenses, I buy food.. so how am I stopping what I am doing? I am complying so I can do what I feel there is a need, and if all it takes for me to do what I believe is the right thing to do, then why wouldn't I comply?

I am not going to protest and not feed people blaming the state. I am going to comply and feed people.

All it takes is one homeless person to get sick and the state will press charges. Is it worth it? Go for it. For me it was not worth it. It was less expensive to spend hundreds of dollars, take hours of my time to comply.. and maybe that's why I have one of the best soup kitchen in my county? I care that much.

It's not about the state. The state is what it is, whether I agree or not is immaterial when it comes to getting the job of feeding people done. Either you do it, or you don'e.. blame away.. that's not feeding people, just making an excuse to not.

Having a Certificate or License

will not prevent anyone from getting sick from poorly prepared food. One can be just as careless with those documents as without them; they don't even reduce the chances of sickness. They're just paper. In fact, they tend to give a false sense of security, and can keep dishonest providers out of jail. "Hey, I met all the state's requirements!"

The only thing that minimizes the risk to customers is actually caring and paying attention to detail in the food preparation. Someone who has been sharing coffee and sandwiches for 6 years has established a track record of caring, as with any good restaurant. That means more to me than some bureaucrat's stamp of approval, I'd eat their food on my first day in their town, whether they have the state issued permits or not.

I think they have merit

I see a difference between those who have certificates and those who don't, hand washing, fifo, better at being clean, mopping up, sanitizing.. also in food prep, the ones with certificates are more conscious of not passing pathogins, better about not serving what they won't eat.. and, if someone was to get sick, we are better managed with records so we can track where the problem began better than some kitchens I wouldn't eat in.

The paper shows inniative and that you at least know you can't wash your hands enough, gloves are not the answer, and feeding people poison is not helping anyone.

I don't agree that sharing coffee and sandwiches for 6 years shows a track record of caring, but that's because I know people who share coffee and sandwiches, and keep the nice things for themselves. There are predators who take advantage to the system.. I saw it the first year I worked there.. we got a couple of cases of chocolates for Christmas to share. End of the day the chocolate was still there.. I asked, "why didn't we pass out the chocolate?" I was told, "They don't need it?" So I asked, "Why did we take it?, I was told, "we take whatever they give." So, What are we going to do with the chocolate?" I was told, a couple of volunteers were going to take it. I thought, well, a couple of volunteers just got Christmas gifts to pass out to all their friends and extended families. Excuse me, but to me, this is BS. And I've seen volunteers come and they are more interested in what they can take.

Eat what you like, I'm not telling you what to eat. I'm saying that soup kitchens are now regulated, that is a fact, so if you want to feed the homeless, get with the program. If the cost of complying is difficult, have a fundraiser. The community is very good about stepping up and helping volunteers get the job done.

All I am saying is..

people not need to involve government in all charity. What can you do without getting a "License" or a "certification"? It does not matter what you do, government makes money from EVERY transaction you make. Whether it's though taxes or directly though a "license". People that are starving can't even go outside and hunt without paying the government its dues. I'm sure some will try to argue that everyone would go hunt and animal populations yada yada yada... even so, one of the most basic human rights, the right to feed yourself cant be met without the government making money off of it. Also, as far as the workers bringing home chocolate... I'm sure it happens more then people know, but that is not a valid argument for saying the government should regulate it instead. We all know they will take more than chocolate!

-Robert Green Ingersoll

I'm not saying government should

I'm saying that government does. It was a SHAME when government decided it needed to tax Churches, tax events, not they are closing Catholic hospital and schools with abortion and planned parenthood laws, and catholic (and other religious schools) with stopping prayer.

I don't think the governemtn should be in any of this, but it is.

So you have a choice, comply or stop. I'm sure they want me to stop, and instead, I spent my money and complied.

Just be a good slave to your

Just be a good slave to your Nazi Gop and comply too all to all their unlawful permits. Good girl your a good slave.

I will

and if you ever eat at a soup kitchen you can thank the slaves like me for serving a king like you.

This is what it...

is like when you let the government do stuff...


-Robert Green Ingersoll

NC, what does one expect.

That state is bat s#!t crazy.

I agree that the feeders need to find a new place that is . . .

not controversial for anyone--

but, in the meantime, the threat to jail the feeders, "if you pass out that food" is bullying and absurd.

They are supposed to throw away the food?!

Unreasonable and wasteful--

I hope that police officer doesn't find himself hungry someday--

what goes around comes around--

it's hard to be awake; it's easier to dream--

Happens Frequently

I've seen many stories, just like this one. At some point, government starts treating the homeless like a vermin problem. Of course, if you feed them, they will come. It's funny how this lesson (Santa Monica) has to be learned over and over again.

Instead of prohibiting churches from operating soup kitchens on their own property (which they do), city councils should permit it. Churches can decide how best to move the homeless to independence if they want to using their own rules, whereas governments aren't allowed to discriminate.



More history:

New York:


What do you think? http://consequeries.com/

I'm with 'Cuda on this...

The city is trying to keep that nice park "vagrant-free" so that the tax-paying workers/producers and their families who support that park can enjoy it "bum-free". The churches are trying to do good, and I applaud them for it...but they really need to do it in a more appropriate setting...like the Red Cross shelter...nothing wrong with that, is there?

Silence isn't always golden....sometimes it's yellow.


How "public"....

is the park if people being kept out?

-Robert Green Ingersoll

That's bullshit.

These are human beings, not parasites.

A person can absolutely lose

A person can absolutely lose their dignity and become nothing more than an empty non-human shell of a parasite.


Last time I checked

Last time I checked, "vagrants" are allowed to be on public property as long as they do not commit a crime---then of course, the crime is the actual committing of the crime, and not the act of being on public property (the park) while committing said crime.

You might want the park to be "vagrant-free", but the rights of the minority must be respected in a true Republic/Free Society.

You want "vagrant-free" parks? Where do you draw the line? Do you need to a property owner in order to use the parks? Should we bring the deeds to our houses to be able to use PUBLIC property?

Should they move their operation to under a bridge on the Interstate Highway?

Private property is one thing, but perhaps you should rethink your argument.

Trouble is... "public"

Trouble is... "public" property is actually state property, and flies directly in the face of the free society we are supposed to be pushing for.

If the businesses surrounding that park also owned the park, this problem would not exist. Since they cannot own the park, the inevitable result of having a "public" park where anything goes so long as no "crime" is committed is proprietors taking their business elsewhere. Eventually, the only people you'll find at that park or anywhere near it will be the homeless and those providing food for them. In a free market, the food the church offers would be offered at, well... the church.

It is not the rights of

It is not the rights of minorities that should be protected, as groups should have no special priveldge. I do not like how public property is conducted, as it is never truly public. However, only property owners should be allowed in parks. That being said, anything can be considered property: a shirt, lint, or even those cans the homeless cart around in shopping carts.

Hosea 4:6

" ........ my people are destroyed from the lack of knowledge..."