No Home-Cooked Meals For the Poor? Give Me a Break!

ByABC News
December 7, 2006, 3:28 PM

Dec. 7, 2006— -- It's the season for giving. Lots of people want to give. Many want to cook for the homeless -- but watch out, the government wants to make sure you're doing it their way.

Many churches in Fairfax County, Va., serve home-cooked meals to the poor.

The Rev. Kathleen Chesson of First Christian Church in Falls Church told us:

"They love our food because it's home-cooked."

And the cooks, like Mary Baker, love preparing it. "I love cooking. I love it," she said. "I can take a little bit of something, like a soup bone? And I can make a whole pot of something. Tastes good. With some cornbread. You got a meal!"

"The importance of having a home-cooked meal," one homeless person told us, "[is that] you feel people put love in what they do."

Many volunteers, like Baker and Ruth Neikirk, first prepare the food at home. Ruth always bakes her favorites. "I love these myself," she said, gesturing to her breakfast muffins. "So I hope they will!"

Then she brings it all to the church, where they serve it to the homeless.

It looks like a happy affair, but are you aware that this is criminal activity?!! They're preparing food, serving food to people. According to Fairfax County health department regulations, that's not safe, and last week there was a crackdown on the lawlessness.

Hundreds of pages of regulation say that to serve food to the public, you need a food manager certificate, a ware-washing machine (with internal baffles), drain-boards, ventilation hood systems, a sink with at least three compartments, as well as a hand-washing sink, can openers with removable parts, and so on for hundreds of pages and you must get a commercial kitchen license.

Homeless people we talked to were outraged at the bureaucrats. "Some of them take their jobs just a little too seriously," said one man. "They got nothing better to do than sit around and write legislation."

"I thought they was crazy," said another man. "I mean, [the churches are] helping people and they're trying to stop it."