Posted on 12/23/2005 12:12:02 PM PST by COBOL2Java
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- A Jesuit-run college in Baltimore has suspended a food program for the homeless after the city's health department informed student participants that they could not distribute sandwiches without a license.
Despite not having a license, which requires that hot and cold running water be available where the food is served, several students from Loyola College in Maryland have continued to give out sandwiches on their own outside St. Vincent de Paul Church in downtown Baltimore on Monday nights.
"We think the regulations are ridiculous," said Ashley Biggs, an 18-year-old sophomore and the student coordinator of the outreach program, called Care-A-Van. Biggs said students in the college program had been giving out food in a downtown parking lot when Baltimore City Health Department officials asked them to stop Nov. 14.
Four to six students have continued to distribute food at St. Vincent de Paul independent of the college program because "people still need to eat," she told The Catholic Review, newspaper of the Baltimore Archdiocese.
"Technically, it is illegal," Biggs added. "They could potentially give us a citation and a fine."
Mark Kelly, a Loyola spokesman, said the college's Center for Values and Service is in discussions with students and the health department to "come up with a working solution" that will allow the center's outreach program to resume.
One option is implementing a health department suggestion to get licensed and relocate to an area next to the Supermax prison in Baltimore. Another possibility is for the college to find a health-certified kitchen and alternative location, Kelly said.
Sister Catherine "Missy" Gugerty, a School Sister of Notre Dame who directs the Center for Values and Service, said she was thrilled that the students were continuing their outreach even though they no longer can do it through the college. "I can't think of a more impressive scenario," she said.
Sister Missy said the van outreach has become an "essential service." About 20 student volunteers participate, and approximately 50-75 people have been receiving ham and cheese sandwiches along with a drink every Monday and Tuesday.
The number of clients has increased dramatically since the program began 1991, she said.
Sister Missy said students are "gravely concerned" about the well-being of the people who have benefited from the outreach program. "The students really felt that if the people were not getting the sandwiches, the alternative is to pick food out of the trash cans," she said.
Melisa Lindamood, senior adviser on legislative affairs for the Baltimore City Health Department, said the city is enforcing regulations related to the licensing of food providers as a way of protecting the homeless. She said Baltimore has been recognized nationally for having the cleanest restaurants.
"We wanted to be able to say that any outdoor food provider is as safe as the Cheesecake Factory or any other restaurant," said Lindamood, who noted that licensing fees are waived for nonprofit groups such as Loyola's.
Lindamood said many homeless people have "compromised immune systems," and that licensing serves as "a check to make sure homeless persons are protected."
"These licenses are to make the food safer, not to stop distribution," she said.
When preparing food, Sister Missy said, students wear rubber gloves and place each sandwich in a sealed baggie. The food is refrigerated until it is distributed, she said.
Students are not eager to relocate their outreach to the site promoted by the health department, Sister Missy said. "The (homeless) people have told us they don't like to be there," she said. "It is dreary, and some of them have had interactions with the law and have spent time in some form of jail system and so it is really hard for them to be near there."
Biggs said she believes the city is trying to hide the homeless by moving the food program to the Supermax site. "Out of sight, out of mind," she said. "If people don't see the problem, then it doesn't exist."
I use both olive oil and coconut oil. Olive oil for most things. Coconut oil for things that would taste nasty with olive oil. It really does not taste much different than any vegetable oils.
Just be careful, some homeless are mentally ill. When my daughter was in college her group was returning to her apt with left over pizza in boxes. A homeless man was digging in the dumpster and they tried to give him the pizza- he ran at them in attack mode. Good thing there was boys there to fend him off.
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As well intentioned as this may be and as asinine as the health department's stubborn stand sounds, it still reminds me of how cat ladies begin.
Did you ever watch Rachel Ray on the Food channel?
Everytime she goes to the sink to wash up you can hear the sound of a pulse pump in the background; what is decorated as a country kitchen is actually a studio set and isn't plumbed for true running water.
The health department could easily reqiuire full system hookup if they chose and move you back to square one.
And here I was, about to give up on you.
I shouldn't have to tell you the breakdown was 100% to 0%.
For the answer, watch the video.
"Don't feed them and they will be forced to take "the jobs that americans won't do" instead of panhandeling and bitching."
I think most of them are incapable of holding down a job.
Wow - I would have taken all of that soda!
I assume that your parents were wealthy enough to pay for your education and give you a nest egg to start with. The "American Dream" is that those of us who weren't so lucky can eventually become at least middle class.
But for most of us, that means years of living pay check to pay check. Doing that is often necessary for those who weren't born with silver spoons.
I might have a different message if you hadn't said I never have been and never will be. You don't get it.
It is very kind that Ms. Melisa Lindamood cares so much for the poor. I am sure that she is very eager to spend her personal time and own money on distributing food for the homeless. She already is involved in such worthy causes as Planned Parenthood and Catholics For A Free Choice. (See more: US NGO Leaders Praise EU Action on 'Bush Gag Rule' )
You can express your appreciation directly to her at:
Ms. Melisa Lindamood
Legislative Director, Baltimore City Health Department
210 Guilford Avenue, 3rd Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-396-4677
410-396-1617 fax
melisa.lindamood@baltimorecity.gov
We all know what happens in fast food joints. In terms of health, I'd trust one of those Catholic college sandwiches over, say, McDonalds anytime!
**could not distribute sandwiches without a license.**
Come on -- this is a ministry, not a food service! Discrimination!!!
Why the beef with private charity?? Wouldn't more private charity allow a reduction in government based aid / entitlement?
"Please elaborate. Folks educated in nutritional science have told me to use olive oil."
Olive oil is ok for salads. Buy in small quantities and keep refrigerated. Polyunsaturated oils are a major cause of insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer. Coconut oil is the only oil you should use for cooking. Read on...
ARE YOU EATING RANCID OILS?
Rancid oils are a major source of destructive free radicals in our diet.
Exposure to air, heat, and light cause oils to oxidize, become rancid, and form free radicals
Saturated fats are not affected much by oxidation because they are very stable and have a high degree of resistance to oxidation. Monounsaturated fats, since they have a pair of missing hydrogen atoms are somewhat vulnerable to oxidation. Polyunsaturated oils, which are missing several pairs of hydrogen atoms, are very unstable and highly reactive to oxidation.
Polyunsaturated oils are so vulnerable that even at room temperature and in subdued light oxidation occurs inside the bottle. All polyunsaturated vegetable oils sold at grocery stores have become rancid to some degree before you even bring them home. Because the oils have been highly refined and deodorized you can't smell or taste anything, but the free radicals are there, waiting to attack your body.
If you store the oil in the cupboard at room temperature, the oxidation process continues. When you open the bottle and expose the oil to oxygen in the air, oxidation is accelerated. If you leave it out on the counter where it is exposed to light, oxidation progresses even faster. To make matters worse, if you use the oil in cooking you greatly accelerate the rate of oxidation and free radical formation. For this reason, you should never use polyunsaturated oils in cooking. Most people do this all the time. They buy a bottle of soybean oil and keep it in the cupboard for months and use it along with margarine for all their cooking. It's no wonder cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and other diseases associated with free radicals are becoming more and more prevalent nowadays. One of the best ways to prevent these diseases is to not use polyunsaturated oils. Because of this, I don't eat polyunsaturated vegetable oils at all or anything made with them. I know too much about the damage they can do to the body. I recommend that if you have any polyunsaturated vegetable oils (corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, etc.) in your home that you throw them out. Don't even consider using them; get rid of them now. Throw away salad dressings made with these oils as well.
Olive oil is all right to use because it is primarily a monounsaturated fat and, therefore, much more stable than polyunsaturated oils. You use it mostly for salads. Do not cook with olive oil. Store it in the refrigerator and use it up within a month or so.
The only fats you should use for moderate to high temperature cooking are saturated fats like butter and coconut oil. Coconut oil is highest in saturated fat so it makes an excellent all-purpose cooking oil. It is very stable under heat, but has a relatively low smoking point, so keep frying temperatures below 350 degrees F.
COCONUT OILS HEALING MIRACLES
(THE HEALTHIEST OIL FOR COOKING)
If there was an oil you could use for your daily cooking needs that helped protect you from heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative conditions, improved your digestion, strengthened your immune system, protected you from infectious illnesses, and helped you lose excess weight, would you be interested?
What Coconut Oil Does Do:
* Kills many viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, parasites
* Reduces risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease
* Reduces risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions
* Helps prevent bacterial, viral, and fungal (including yeast) infections
* Supports immune system function
* Helps control diabetes
* Provides an immediate source of energy
* Supports healthy metabolic function
* Improves digestion and nutrient absorption
* Supplies important nutrients necessary for good health
* Supplies fewer calories than other fats
* Promotes weight loss
* Helps prevent osteoporosis
* Has a mild delicate flavor
* Is highly resistant to spoilage (long shelf life)
* Is heat resistant (the healthiest oil for cooking)
* Helps keep skin soft and smooth
* Helps prevent premature aging, wrinkles, sagging skin, age spots
* Helps protect against skin cancer and other blemishes
* Supports tissue healing and repair
* Functions as a protective antioxidant
* Helps you look and feel younger
What Coconut Oil Does Not Do:
* Does not increase blood cholesterol, platelet stickiness, blood clot formation
* Does not contribute to atherosclerosis or heart disease
* Does not deplete the bodys antioxidant reserves like other oils do
* Does not contribute to weight problems
Use nature's elixir to lose weight, prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and beautify skin and hair. Suggested daily intake of coconut oil is 1-1/2 to 3 ounces (1 ounce = 2 Tablespoons).
This information comes from The Healing Crisis by Dr. Bruce Fife, a certified nutritionist and naturopathic physician
To me that is just sad. Probably someone got reprimanded about allowing our food to be served. It's just such a waste to let perfectly good food go unused when there is a genuine need out there.
Liberalism in a nutshell.
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