On a chilly Thursday evening on Bo Diddley Plaza, homeless men and women lined up to get their meal for the day.
This homeless feed, however, was technically illegal according to a city ordinance that states that the number of meals served in a 24-hour period is not to exceed 130, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and one other holiday designated by the food distribution center.
The feed was set up by a local coalition as a demonstration to protest the ordinance.
“Communities aim to control and regulate the conditions and behaviors of the homeless when the focus should be on creating housing and jobs,” said Neil Donovan, the Executive Director and CEO of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Communities are only going to change when problems are brought to the light of day.”
Elijah Wood, a homeless man who counts on homeless feeds has been negatively affected by the meal limit.
“It’s not right. It seems like organizations have the food, but once they serve 130 people, they have to stop. And the food just sits there,” Wood said. “If people are willing to donate and help the homeless, then they should be able to do it.”
