As I write this our little house of care has been feeding 60 or more people every weekend for over 10 months.
Before we really got started we questioned whether our intentions were legal and spent some time in research. After reading all that we could find we contacted the county chief of environmental services (we found no such position listed for the city) and he confirmed our research results.
The limitations we were going to work under were pretty frustrating. The team had wanted to furnish some sort of hot meal but we found that we were limited to two options. We could give away prepackaged food or equip ourselves in a way that was prohibitively expensive. To qualify as a food truck would include such things as a triple sink, refrigeration (and therefore generator power), grills, food service supervisors etc.
The director asked us if we were going to limit our efforts to the areas inside the city limits. When we said yes he told us that if we stayed with prepackaged food we were no different than a pizza delivery driver. In fact, he seemed quite happy that we intended to help with an obvious problem and told us to come back if we had any difficulty.
Before we really got started we questioned whether our intentions were legal and spent some time in research. After reading all that we could find we contacted the county chief of environmental services (we found no such position listed for the city) and he confirmed our research results.
The limitations we were going to work under were pretty frustrating. The team had wanted to furnish some sort of hot meal but we found that we were limited to two options. We could give away prepackaged food or equip ourselves in a way that was prohibitively expensive. To qualify as a food truck would include such things as a triple sink, refrigeration (and therefore generator power), grills, food service supervisors etc.
The director asked us if we were going to limit our efforts to the areas inside the city limits. When we said yes he told us that if we stayed with prepackaged food we were no different than a pizza delivery driver. In fact, he seemed quite happy that we intended to help with an obvious problem and told us to come back if we had any difficulty.
Before I describe what we did I would like to describe the biggest assistance we received. The Under Over Fellowship (known commonly as the Under Over Mission or the mission) was instrumental in helping us meet with our clients. They basically provided mentorship as we started out.
What you see here is a Nissan Cube filled with MREs. That’s Meals Ready to Eat and each meal contains a small catalytic heater that reacts with water. We gave them out like candy during the cold winter months. Those all came from the Under Over Fellowship and we have been working together in ways small and large since the start.
They have noon services there three times per week. They then fellowship in their dining facility with their clients and anyone who is hungry. We try to go to the services and talk to the people who stay there 2-3 times per week. The chances to just listen have proven invaluable.
What you see here is a Nissan Cube filled with MREs. That’s Meals Ready to Eat and each meal contains a small catalytic heater that reacts with water. We gave them out like candy during the cold winter months. Those all came from the Under Over Fellowship and we have been working together in ways small and large since the start.
They have noon services there three times per week. They then fellowship in their dining facility with their clients and anyone who is hungry. We try to go to the services and talk to the people who stay there 2-3 times per week. The chances to just listen have proven invaluable.
We operated as the director said for seven months. We found that the library had a number of homeless people so we started and finished our saturdays there. We operated in the open and in plain view of library staff and general public. In fact you could see us from I45 if you happened to be passing by. We also made rounds of the various city parks feeding who we found. When it rained we even pulled under the library awning (below)so that the folks could stay dry when getting their food. Then one day from out of nowhere it all became complicated.
While we were setting up to serve whoever would come, a young security guard came down and said we would have to leave. She was crying and having difficulty talking but managed to tell us a strange (to us anyway) story. She said that nobody had thought we would continue to do this more than a very short time. Since we kept coming back, we now had to leave. She said it wasn’t her fault and that she loved what we were doing. We later heard similar statements from other employees and we never broached the subject.
The poor girl was so upset that we prayed with her and told her we wouldn’t bother her again. That seemed to upset her even more. Some of the people who were there to receive food suggested that we move about 150 yards and set up camp under the freeway underpass. We did that for two or three weeks.
As it happens if you just go about your business you will hear things. We were told that this park, which seemed to share a parking lot with the library, in fact did not. The parking spaces for the park, we were told, belonged to the park. It had been completed shortly before we were evicted from the library.
You see before you a street with signs in three places proclaiming it to be Freedom Blvd. It clearly separates the library parking lot from the park with it’s attached spaces. As you can see there is a double yellow line that if I recall correctly indicates that it is a no passing zone. I think passing is generally discouraged in parking lots and in my experience such signs are unique to streets and roads.
These new developments led us to believe the information was correct so we started working out of the parking lot of the flag park. We did so with more success than we had when working adjacent to the library but there was still room for improvement.
These new developments led us to believe the information was correct so we started working out of the parking lot of the flag park. We did so with more success than we had when working adjacent to the library but there was still room for improvement.
We always felt rushed when we took the trailer and made our rounds of the parks. In fact I was continually forced to be the bad guy by telling our folks we had to move out. That rush was so often counter-productive but very necessary at the same time. We decided to leave the trailer at a central location and use a second vehicle to run to the parks and the day labor sites. You can think of that as a mothership and satellite ship arrangement. Whatever you want to call it, it worked. Our clients lounged in the areas provided and we had taken to carrying coffee and sometimes donuts during the cold weather. Those additions necessitated carrying our own trash can as well. I guess that routine was too smooth and too effective to remain in our future.
We fed about 70 people that day. I stayed with the trailer and Sally drove around in our Nissan Cube giving out bags of pre-packaged meals. Just before she returned I was visited by another security guard. He told me that the library wanted to see my permit from the city dads that allowed me to be in their parking lot and could they please see my insurance. I explained that I thought I was no longer in the jurisdiction of the library but that I would confirm that with Parks and Recreation on Monday. He thanked me for what we were doing and for not killing the messenger.
Monday brought with it a whole new level of understanding of why things sometimes never get done. I personally think government is fine at building roads and fighting crime but are less than good with agreeing with itself or minding their own business. The nanny state is ubiquitous.
When I spoke to the Lady who was secretary to the Director of Parks and Recreation she told me that the area in question actually did belong to the library (she thought). The Parks and Rec. Department managed that section. What did I need it for, she asked. I told her and she said that as a food truck I needed a permit.
I quoted the County Health Director that I was not a food truck. She responded that he was county and the city would classify me as a food truck whether I was or not. I needed permits to get in compliance. We were fine with the county but could not work on city property. Obviously, we also could not use the area under the overpass because that was city property.
She took my name and number and told me that she would talk to Mister N. Charge when he was out of his meeting and get back to me.
However, what she did know without asking him was that I could not set up an unlicensed food truck in her parks. She was a lot more pleasant than this sounds. I just didn't care for the news. I left her office knowing we were not going into the permit business because my name isn’t Bill Gates. It’s not the cost of the permits. It’s the expense of licensing as a race horse when, in fact perhaps you are a donkey or zebra. We are not running a food truck nor do we intend to pay for one.
We fed about 70 people that day. I stayed with the trailer and Sally drove around in our Nissan Cube giving out bags of pre-packaged meals. Just before she returned I was visited by another security guard. He told me that the library wanted to see my permit from the city dads that allowed me to be in their parking lot and could they please see my insurance. I explained that I thought I was no longer in the jurisdiction of the library but that I would confirm that with Parks and Recreation on Monday. He thanked me for what we were doing and for not killing the messenger.
Monday brought with it a whole new level of understanding of why things sometimes never get done. I personally think government is fine at building roads and fighting crime but are less than good with agreeing with itself or minding their own business. The nanny state is ubiquitous.
When I spoke to the Lady who was secretary to the Director of Parks and Recreation she told me that the area in question actually did belong to the library (she thought). The Parks and Rec. Department managed that section. What did I need it for, she asked. I told her and she said that as a food truck I needed a permit.
I quoted the County Health Director that I was not a food truck. She responded that he was county and the city would classify me as a food truck whether I was or not. I needed permits to get in compliance. We were fine with the county but could not work on city property. Obviously, we also could not use the area under the overpass because that was city property.
She took my name and number and told me that she would talk to Mister N. Charge when he was out of his meeting and get back to me.
However, what she did know without asking him was that I could not set up an unlicensed food truck in her parks. She was a lot more pleasant than this sounds. I just didn't care for the news. I left her office knowing we were not going into the permit business because my name isn’t Bill Gates. It’s not the cost of the permits. It’s the expense of licensing as a race horse when, in fact perhaps you are a donkey or zebra. We are not running a food truck nor do we intend to pay for one.
We knew we needed private property. Further, it needed to be a place where our activity would normal. Probably giving away food in the front yard of pawn shop or auto parts store wouldn’t work so well. Long story short. We met with the pastors at the fellowship and they were happy to host our ministry.
We park on their property in front of their church and feed much as we did. They are closed to the public on Saturday so it’s beneficial to us both. We set up a table for the food and drink on the front porch. The clothing and miscellany is distributed from the trailer in the street. It's obvious that some time will pass before the client count builds back up but this is not really a numbers game.
Someone still goes out in a car with pre-packed snacks and gives them to those we find. Just as importantly we tell them where the wagon is set up and give cards if needed. Without that it would take forever before our homeless population knows where we are. I think it may take as long as a month before everyone knows where to find us. There is one thing of which I am certain. The City Dads are not in a big hurry to make it easy to feed the homeless in our fine city.
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