The cops were out last Wednesday night when "Extreme Ministry" (sponsored by Faith Lutheran Church in the suburb of Oakville) did their usual bi-weekly rounds of the abandoned warehouses and downtown public areas. We had to make sure we were done by 10 PM, as they can slap fines on us for violating the curfew. The homeless were a bit scarce that evening, too, afraid to come out and accept a meal, as they'd already suffered from of their "new neighbors'" paranoia.
My friend Linda summed up her activities well:
I must apologize to all of my good friends and family for my illicit behavior. I do not apologize to God. I have officially been called a 'drive by feeder' by the St. Louis city police. Last night while providing food to a group of homeless people a police officer stopped his car and approached our group. He asked how long we intended to be there. He very definitely let us know that "drive by feeding" is being discouraged. We asked whether it is illegal. He had to say No, but that we would be watched. If we were still there after 10 PM we would be arrested for not obeying curfew laws. He followed us to all 4 of the locations we visited. It made the homeless nervous. We only fed 80, half of our normal numbers. Those that did partake advised us that the police patrols have been very heavy and harassing. Over half of the churches that provide this service have not shown up this week. The homeless are making themselves scarce for the time being. They are there and hungry. Just afraid and out of sight. By the way - we passed out our last plate of food at 9:50.
My next T-shirt will read:
Convict Me,
I'm a Drive By Feeder
Yeah, make me up a T-shirt like that as well--if you're going to be thrown in jail for Christian charity, you may as well dress the part...
UPDATE: Extreme Ministry has been given permission by the police to feed the homeless on the streets. We have demonstrated that we are an orderly operation, so we have their blessing (for now).
2 comments:
Why not partner with an organization that provides regular meals and services to the homeless, like Centenary CARES? They have just started providing dinner three nights a week and need help. They need money, food, and help cooking and serving 6 days a week. All that Centenary requires of someone to come in for a meal is that they be sober. If they are not sober they give them a sack lunch, so they still are fed.
Please don't dismiss me because I am anonymous. I just don't blog much and don't have an account. But I am a regular volunteer at Centenary and understand why "drive by" feeding is discouranged. It is to "encourage" use of other programs such as Centenary where the "homeless" can be treated like people and get the help they need to get the life they want. Please join us!
Thanks for the heads up! The info was passed along to the appropriate parties.
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