Meal limit lifted BUT….
We are grateful that the meal limit on feeding the hungry has been lifted.
However, we are disturbed that those who get receive meals from St. Francis House must get police clearance first.
WHAT?
Yes, really. We didn’t believe it when we first heard it, either.
While we can understand the arguments for this policy, we don’t agree. The author of this particular entry of indiegainesville feels strongly that requiring a monthly police clearance implies that those who are poor and/or homeless are criminals or more likely to be criminals.
It implies that the folks who are hungry and/or homeless as well as those who have committed crimes deserve retribution and not rehabilitation.
Many who are homeless have had minor run-ins with the police, being asked to move along late at night, etc.
Many homeless may not have a state-ID or driver’s license.
To have to undergo a monthly check just to fulfill the basic necessity of eating is discriminatory and cruel.
Perhaps you disagree. That’s fine.
The main point of this entry is to educate people that there are still limits and requirements that must be met if you happen to be hungry and in need of a meal in Gainesville.
