A recently hired bureaucrat by the Rose Bowl City of Pasadena, CA issued a decree forbidding the feeding of the homeless in the City's Central Park. This means that four thousand of the hungry and homeless will be without a Thanksgiving Dinner, a tradition that is over thirty years old. The decision was made by Liza Frias, just hired as a health services manager for the city. Frias did not know that Pasadena area citizens drive by the park and drop off home cooked turkey meals. "No kidding, they do that?." she is quoted as saying? Upon learning of this the minor league zarina, the killjoy commissar put an end to the practice. In the history of the event there has never been a health problem. No on has ever gotten sick.
Fortunately, the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, in nearby San Gabriel, has steeped forward to receive home cooked Thanksgiving meals which are to be served at Our Saviour Center and could be served to the homeless and hungry who can get transportation to their location in El Monte. Our Saviour center, which has fed hundreds of thousands over the years, will welcome all comers. I have worked there at the intake table and have witnessed parents, who receive food, instantly put it into the mouths of their hungry babies they hold in their arms. If it weren't for the Center, hundreds of area residents would go to be at night without food. Those irreligious people who visit this blog and make un-thinking, unrestrained anti-Christian remarks might want to re-think their attitudes toward the Christian religion. Not all of us Christians see Christianity as a narrow religion of personal salvation but know that when we serve "the least amongst us" we serve Christ himself. Matthew 25:
37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life"
I personally believe that what Christ has said we must do personally, we must do as a community, a society and as a nation. That, in a rich country like ours because, there are at least 30% of the population who live in poverty, hundreds of thousands suffer from food deprivation and/or are homeless, even under ACA millions will be uninsured and lack proper medical attention, prisons are filled with low level offenders and the mentally ill, "Christianity and "The United States of America" should not be uttered in the same breath. The terms are absolutely incompatible.
San Gabriel church opens arms to home-cooked Thankgiving dishes
SAN GABRIEL >> One day after Pasadena residents learned the city’s health department put the brakes on a three-decade tradition of feeding the homeless at Central Park, officials with the Church of Our Saviour said Tuesday they would welcome donations of home-cooked turkey and side dishes for Thanksgiving.
The Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel hosts two Thanksgiving dinners — one at its Our Saviour Center and another at Immanuel Church, both in El Monte.
“I know there are a lot of people that want to help, but they just don’t know where to go,” said Julie Kelly, rector’s assistant at the parish.
The church will gladly accept the food donations, Kelly said. Between the two locations, about 1,000 people will be served dinner, she said.
Many families had made it a Thanksgiving tradition to bring roasted turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles, cranberry sauce or other traditional Turkey Day fare by Central Park on Thanksgiving morning.
Union Station Homeless Services, which hosts the meal for about 4,000 people in the park, announced Monday it can no longer accept home-cooked food donations because of stricter Health Department regulations.
The city’s Environmental Health Division Manager Liza Frias said because the event is open to the public, food served must come from an approved, regulated facility.
Church organizations are exempt from the food regulations, known as the California Retail Food code, Frias said.
“We feed lots of people who need feeding,” said Sally Baldwin, a parish member, who is bringing sweet potatoes and stuffing to the Church of Our Saviour. “I don’t think anybody ever gets sick.”
Baldwin said it was hypocritical of the Pasadena Health Department to take food away from homeless people in the name of public health safety when it doesn’t rate restaurants with letter grades like many other cities in Los Angeles County.
Pasadena is one of three cities in Southern California that has its own Health Department.
“For them to not care enough to do that in Pasadena and then all of a sudden to say for the homeless people, we can’t have turkeys baked in somebody else’s kitchen because they could get sick, it’s ridiculous,” Baldwin said. “We need to take care of our homeless.”
Those willing to donate food to The Church of Our Saviour, 535 W. Roses Road in San Gabriel, are welcome to bring food anytime Wednesday until 9 p.m. and on Thursday morning until 10, Kelly said.
“We have mouths to feed all year round,” said Kelly, for those who wish to continue to donate non-perishable items to the church’s food bank.
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