homeless_ap980.jpg
Bread of Life is upset about the restriction and hopes to continue serving meals to homeless individuals who do not come into their shelter. (AP Photo/File)

Mission told not to feed the homeless in Seattle city parks

BY Brandi Kruse  on January 18, 2013 @ 12:32 am (Updated: 7:24 am - 1/18/13 )

The Bread of Life Mission, which has served the homeless community in Pioneer Square for more than 70 years, said the city has directed them to stop feeding the hungry in downtown parks.

On the third Saturday of every month for the past three years, volunteers for the mission have handed out meals at places such as City Hall Park. The offering was in addition to the three meals a day they serve inside their building at 97 South Main Street.

"It was a service we were offering free of charge to be a blessing to the homeless," said Executive Director Willie Parish, Jr. "All we were doing was just a continuation of what we do on a daily basis."

In December, however, Parish said Seattle police told them they were no longer allowed to serve food at the park.

City officials say the restriction is nothing new, and that Bread of Life simply operated in the park for three years without being caught or reported.

David Takami with the Seattle Human Services Department said the city does not allow groups of people to feed the homeless outdoors without approval.

"This has happened in the past where there are a lot of meals served in a short period of time on the same day," he said. "It's a little chaotic and it can also lead to wasted food."

Takami said those wishing to feed the homeless need to coordinate with the Operation: Sack Lunch program, which serves up to 300 people a day at the city's outdoor meal site, located under the I-5 bridge at 6th Avenue and Columbia Street.

By requiring that all food be served at the site, Takami said the city can control the nutritional value of what the homeless eat and can prevent litter from being left behind at parks after meals.

He said the controlled environment is also safer for volunteers.

"For example, there was one group of middle school students who, out of the goodness of their hearts, wanted to serve meals to homeless people and we were concerned [...] because of possible safety issues," Takami said.

Nevertheless, Bread of Life is upset about the restriction and hopes to continue serving meals to homeless individuals who do not come into their shelter.

"We love to do it, we want to continue doing it," Parish said.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (132)


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  • wsshirling wrote...
    really??
    January 18, 2013 11:42 am
    "Nevertheless, Bread of Life is upset about the restriction and hopes to continue serving meals to homeless individuals who do not come into their shelter." If a homeless guy doesn't want to walk two blocks to get a free meal, then that should be a wake up call to the mission. If this was happening in the time of Jesus, the village wouldn't let a man eat who didn't work. The village would tell the man he is wrong for resting while others worked. That man would work because he wanted to eat and he would feel better about himself and the village he lived in. We (the villagers) don't do this anymore. We should because it would be the best thing for the man AND the village.
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  • TimeForNewLeadership wrote...
    Dori is an turkey
    January 18, 2013 11:57 am
    One thing you can always be sure of with Dori: His arguments' final conclusion may or may not be correct but the reasoning leading up to them nearly always will be incomplete, skewed, specious and/or entirely unfounded.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Ronald Reagan was pummeled by the media for Homelessness
    January 18, 2013 12:01 pm
    King Barack H. Obama has MADE homelessness far worse.Where is the outrage lefty's?And oh yeah you "Parrots"(ty HAHA)are such complete hypocrites.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Liberals in Seattle. You are a pathetic bunch.
    January 18, 2013 5:12 pm
    You promote this sort of "service", to alleviat your rich, white, liberal guilt, but then when people show up (see cats above) you dislike the appearance and want it "restricted". Yep. Hypocrites. Like the libs that love wind energy...as long as the ugly turbines ruin someone ELE'S view.
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  • rational wrote...
    Progressive true colors...
    January 18, 2013 5:51 pm
    were just revealed (again). So much for giving a rip about the poor and homeless...the progressives want them to starve in the streets.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • PleaseThink wrote...
    Ignorant comments
    January 18, 2013 6:33 pm
    The ignorance of the comments in response to this article are typical regarding the homeless and the situation in general. Too bad all the self-righteous, swaggers haven't actually worked with the homeless or spent time trying to understand the situation. In 2008 WA Mental Health budget was slashed and half the inmates of Western State were released on to the streets. Our state simply shifted the burden on to the local municipalities. Why did they get away with this? Because the propagandist media has done a great job in brainwashing citizens that all homeless are lazy. They are not. They are the mentally ill, abused and poor that have fallen through the gaping holes in our society. Yes, some are alcoholics and drug addicts, mostly because of their mental disabilities. Instead of treating these people, we throw them to the streets where they devolve into a life of crime and petty theft. Some go to jail where they can get every illegal drug and become lifelong addicts. Hooray us! If we had a lick of sense, we would do what Portugal did and legalize drugs, but put all the money that went into DEA enforcement into Rehab. Portugal has decreased their drug addiction by over 52%. And as for going to a shelter; try one! They are infested with bed bugs and you leave with open sores all over your body. Double dog dare all of you to spend some time talking to a homeless person and learning of their situation before blathering your arm chair quarter back wisdom, or lack there of.
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    @Please Think
    January 18, 2013 7:18 pm
    You should have thought long and hard before you voted "King" Obama back into office.You get the government you deserve. King Obama's jobs council has not met for a year now.Now ACCEPT IT OBAMABOTS. http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/011813-641311-president-obama-unemployment-jobless-jobs-policies.htm
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  • rational wrote...
    PleaseThink
    January 18, 2013 9:08 pm
    The ignorance of the comments...

    Yes, like yours.

    And as for going to a shelter; try one!

    I have and I contracted TB working in a homeless shelter in Seattle...so you can just sod off you arrogant twit.

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  • JoAnne5 wrote...
    Ignorant?
    January 19, 2013 1:18 pm
    Seattle spends millions of tax dollars every year building, maintaining, and staffing housing for drug addicted homeless criminals. There is a new building going up right now. In these housing units, the "mentally ill" are allowed to continue the drug and alcohol use that made them deranged in the first place.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • andy123 wrote...
    Want to stop a problem?
    January 18, 2013 6:56 pm
    Stop paying government employees when they're in buildings.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cloey wrote...
    Liberals, you get what you vote for..
    January 18, 2013 7:22 pm
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.."THE CITY CAN CONTROL THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF WHAT THE HOMELESS EAT..."
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  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    Is it just me, or is that a picture of Adam Sandler?
    January 18, 2013 7:37 pm
    But seriously folks, this is another example of liberal government killing the traditional social safety systems of private charity that were filled by groups like bread of life and churches. The more government pushes out these traditional groups, the more they send the message that GOVERNMENT is the only answer and ingrain more apathy into society.
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  • Rangerhawk wrote...
    Obviously not an election year
    January 18, 2013 8:46 pm
    But I'll bet most of those people were registered under all of their aliases in 2012. Just tell them not to worry, hope is on the way!
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