WP: Freshly Baked Handouts Forbidden in Fairfax(VA - to Homeless)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801583.html

The casserole has been canned.

Under a tough new Fairfax County policy, residents can no longer donate food prepared in their homes or a church kitchen -- be it a tuna casserole, sandwiches or even a batch of cookies -- unless the kitchen is approved by the county, health officials said yesterday.

They said the crackdown on home-cooked meals is aimed at preventing food poisoning among homeless people.

But it is infuriating operators of shelters for the homeless and leaders of a coalition of churches that provides shelter and meals to homeless people during the winter. They said the strict standards for food served in the shelters will make it more difficult to serve healthy, hot meals to homeless people. The enforcement also, they said, makes little sense.

"We're very aware that a number of homeless people eat out of dumpsters, and mom's pot roast has got to be healthier than that," said Jim Brigl, chief executive of Fairfax Area Christian Emergency & Transitional Services. "But that doesn't meet the code."

[TexasLawyer]

1. The real reason for the law--

Make life in Fairfax County unpleasant for the homeless so they'll go away.

[UrbScotty]

6. Yep (nt)

[saigon68]

26. Get rid of those smelly unwashed mental defectives and the alcoholics too

It must be made pleasant

"FOR THE CHILDREN"


Run them off to a barb wire "Re-education" through labor camp.

LOL

</sarcasm>

[MountainLaurel]

27. That's the thing, though

The majority of homeless in Fairfax County are families with children. At last I heard, at least 65 percent of the adults in those families were working at least part time. They just can't afford housing in a place where a 1BR will cost more than $1200/month.

[tabasco]

36. Many of them vets, no doubt.

Kicking them when they're down. I hope these miserable cretins who conceive this shit are happy with themselves.

[Trillo]

2. Just curious,

does this mean that parents cannot donate food to their children?

Perhaps it will be another local tyranny struck down after court battle. Perhaps not.

[EFerrari]

4. When I was in grammar school, I was always a little jealous

that other kids' moms baked cookies or cupcakes for the class to celebrate a birthday.

When my kids were in school, we weren't allowed to bring anything to school to share that wasn't "wrapped" -- i.e., no homemade baked goods.

This culture sure has changed in the last 40 years.

[Trillo]

10. I didn't know that.

Not to mention the human concern of trust or more precisely the lack thereof that's taught by such a policy. Fear your neighbor, they're trying to poison you!

With some of the sickos out there, perhaps its a real concern, but in that case the parents who made the food are known as well as the kids who brought it -- unlike who may have been behind the razorblades in apples and poison in Tylenol scares of the 70s or 80s.

Most kids receive all their food from their own parents "unapproved" kitchen, exceprt for those who feed routinely from approved kitchens like McDonalds. Obviously, home-cooking parents are trying to poison their own! (that's sarcasm)

[susanna]

35. No kidding...

what's next? Outlawing potluck dinners?

[Erika]

9. No, this was a message to dump the needy elsewhere

Such conservative compassion. Contact www.falwell.com

[Mike Daniels]

22. Actually, it's liberal/democratic "compassion"

Sorry to bust your bubble but Fairfax County government is primarily in the hands of Democrats and the county voted for Kerry in 2004, Kaine in 2005 and Webb in 2006.

From Wikipedia on Fairfax County: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfax_County

"In 2000, 2001, and 2005 Fairfax County voted Democratic in the races for Senate and governor. In 2004, John Kerry won the county; the first Democrat to do so since Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide (the last time Democrats carried the state). Kerry defeated Bush in the county 53% to 46%.

Democratic Governor Tim Kaine carried Fairfax County with over 60% of the vote in 2005, leading him to win over 51% of votes statewide.

On November 7, 2006, Senator-elect James H. Webb (D-VA) carried the county with about 58.9% of the votes (from the Virginia Commonwealth site)."

[cascadiance]

3. Gotta make sure the kids charge for EVERY lemonade they sell!

or else it will violate the ordinance!

[Erika]

5. And Virginia calls themselves a Xtian state?

What a mess. Let them eat out of dumpsters but keep them away from home cooked food. Isn't Virginia where Falwell comes from? What's his say on it?

contact www.falwell.com Let him know. We need to finally stand up.

[shanti]

16. let's give them some credit, now...

they DID vote allen out!

[nerddem]

20. this is fairfax county though

it handed you the senate, and is turning virginia blue. the democrats control the board of supervisors, school board, most delegate and senate seats--falwell country indeed.

[katsy]

7. "But that doesn't meet the code."

Really?

So who's code does being homeless meet?

The richest country (righhht) in the world and they've outlawed feeding the homeless.

Let them starve and die in the streets... that'll meet your twisted code.

Maybe we should teach all our children that lesson and encourage them to beat up on the homeless. Forget about encouraging empathy and charity in young people, arm them with baseball bats and let them have a go at the homeless. Oh wait... that already happened in florida.

Here's a code for fairfax area christian e & t: phuck you! And give back those faith based funds you bastards.

[Erika]

8. I hear you, lady

This is the message we need to be sending. The religious right's message has been against gays and abortions but they could care less if people starve. They've adopted the GOP plank who leaves out the needy.

[katsy]

11. That about sums it up.

Religious right... a bunch of ignorant pissants with messages of hatred.

Greed. Ignorance. Hatred. Destruction.

Years ago I lived in Japan. School children were required to go out and collect money to give the poor once a month on a weekend.

They filled the streets with a message of hope, empathy and kindness. I felt like a human being just by contributing more than I was actually able to afford... and yet still managed to land on my feet. It was good to be part of the human race.

Here, if kids aren't beating the homeless... the dimented rr makes laws that hurt these poor Americans.

religious right... corrupt greedy phucking criminals they are.

[Erika]

13. You're a good person, lady

We and the Japanese have done right. Remember that.

The most Xtian people I've ever known kept their religion to themselves. When we see the Falwells, Robertsons, Mega Churches, yell out their holiness and make their bid for our taxes. W listened and used them to gain his own goals.

[katsy]

15. I feel dirty everyday.

How can people incite such hatred and pain?

:cry:

[Old and In the Way]

12. Republication application of government laws at work.

Use government as a club against those least capable of defending themselves.

[Erika]

14. Reagan gave them the club and OK to harm the poor

with it. Nixon, for all his faults, was just a Quaker boy who actually cared about the poor. Reagan turned the poor into whipping boys of the rich.

[mcscajun]

24. Fairfax, VA is run by Democrats.

Not everything wrong is done by Republicans.

I don't like this decision, but I can (almost) understand it. Negligence, liability, and possible deliberate poisonings of the homeless all spring to mind as reasons to enforce code.

Home cooking IS still better than dining out of dumpsters, to be sure. Once someone intervenes, responsiblity ensues. The whole situation stinks. Of course, none of this would stop one individual from giving food to another individual out on the street; what it stops is random donations to shelters.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Hey, yuppie Democrats can be callous snobs, too

n/t

[anotherdrew]

17. I wouldn't think it that difficult to get their church kitchens certified n/t

[Mendocino]

18. Don't give them food, it may be poisoned.

Don't give them shoes, they may strangle themselves with the laces.

Don't give them homes, they may burn them down.

Don't give them money, they'll just buy booze.

Don't give them medical care, it will take away their incentive to live healthy.

Don't give them hope, that would just give them hope.

This response is approved by Faifax County Department of Human Services.

[6000eliot]

19. "No cookies for you homeless bastards!"

[lynne]

21. Fairfax is the bluest and wealthiest county in Virginia -

- What gives? :shrug:

[kuratowa]

23. This isn't about politics

It's about liability.

Some lawyer somewhere said "hey, you can get sued over this" and the Fairfax government took steps to cover their asses.

And we all know how bureacracy can cover a lot of asses.

[AngryOldDem]

25. This is ridiculous

I work at a homeless shelter, and we have many groups, mostly church-based, that make casseroles and other food items for us. We could not survive without them. We also have many groups that make and pack sack lunches, too, as well as those who come down and prepare meals on site. We all consider these groups as literal Godsends.

To some degree I understand the county's concern. We do at times throw out food that we think is suspicious, but that is our job to look out for the welfare of our guests. Likewise, it is up to us to make sure that the food is stored properly, used within a reasonable period of time, and heated correctly. All of that should guarantee that there is no food-poisoning outbreak.

I can only conclude that the county is afraid that food may be deliberately tainted. What a sick commentary that is, one that never occurred to me until now.

(Our facility does have a food license, and we are subject to inspections by the health department, just as restaurants and other food-service places are.)

[diamidue]

29. Happening in Sacramento, CA, too

What gets me is that the City officials can't seem to get their stories straight as to why exactly they are cracking down. In one breath they are saying that do-gooders may be failing to adhere to proper food preparation standards. In another, they claim the problem is litter. Then comes: complaints from business owners; trespassing; & human waste problems.

It sounds like they want to limit the homeless to well established sites in the city where they can maintain absolute control.


http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/state/article_1363790.php

[NVMojo]

30. Sounds like the Mayor of Las Vegas is rubbing off on the bureaucrats here

[electricmonk]

31. Ban was overturned by Board of Supervisors

Home-Cooked Food Is Back on the Menu

[Mz Pip]

32. Common sense prevails

I suppose someone could put poison in food but really how often does that happen?

Good grief, we are being told that the government can't do everything and there needs to be more done n the private sector. But the government won't let you do it. Sort of counter productive.

Anytime we go anywhere we are presuming we won't get poisoned at the restaurant, run over by a truck crossing the street, find a worm in our couph syrup, a black widow in our library book. I could go on and on with this. Life has risks. Maybe we should just all stay home and grow our own food, make our own drugs.

Or maybe we can hope to have something bad happen when we venture out so we can sue someone for 35 million dollars. :eyes:

Mz Pip
:dem:

[electricmonk]

33. This is what I found interesting

From the article, "The crackdown came after the county health department received a complaint about home-cooked food being served to the homeless."

I want to know who made the complaint to begin with.

[Mz Pip]

34. It could be anybody

It really doesn't have to be someone who wants the homeless out of there. It could be someone who is paranoid about lawsuits. God knows anyone can sue anybody for anything these days.

I rent out an in-law apt in my house and my attorney kid told me he thinks I'm nuts to do it. I might get sued if the tenant trips on the stairs. Oh well, it's a risk, I guess. The rent is cheap and our tenant has been there for 3 1/2 years, no complaints. He gets reasonable rent in a high priced market and I get a bit of relief on my outrageous property taxes. But still...

Mz Pip
:dem:

[originalpckelly]

37. Monday's Worst Person in The World: "Fairfax County, VA"

I can hear it now.

[LiberalFighter]

38. Those living there need to concact their state representatives

and let them know to change the state law regarding this matter so the county's policy becomes illegal.

We had a situation similar where potlucks weren't legal under a recent law change. When it was revealed/exposed that it affected potluck dinners they revised the law to permit it here in Indiana.

Churches and other nonprofits that serve food, even only occasionally, must hire certified food handlers, according to the law that took effect in January. In effect, it means that Hoosier home cooking must stay at home.

Four bills in the General Assembly (Senate Bill 41, House Bill 1056, HB 1065 and HB 1109) would give nonprofit groups an exemption from a law that requires food establishments to hire certified food handlers. HB 1056 has cleared the House. Generally, the bills would enable traditional potlucks to continue, if:
• Only members of the organization prepare the food.
• The food events conducted by the organization take place for not more than 30 days in a calendar year.
• The name of each member who has prepared a food item is attached to the container in which the food item has been placed.