by Luisa D’Amato-Waterloo Record
A group of volunteers has been told to stop giving out free food beside Kitchener City Hall.
For the past nine years, a group called Food Not Bombs has served free vegetarian soup and given away groceries to anyone who wanted some on Saturday afternoons at Civic Square. It has never received a single complaint, spokesperson Evan Coole said.
But last week, the group, which includes professors, students and others, got a surprise letter from Kitchener city clerk Randy Gosse.
There had been a complaint “respecting the negative impacts of free food distribution in the Civic Square on area businesses,” the letter said.
“You are hereby instructed to cease and desist free food distribution at Civic Square and not resume such services without appealing to and obtaining permission from City Council.”
The group will appear before council May 5 to challenge the decision.
Gosse said his staff had received complaints from one or more businesses. “It’s not about the organization, it’s about the recipients,” he said.
The people receiving the food were said to be fighting, aggressively panhandling and blocking the sidewalk, which made other people feel uncomfortable, Gosse said.
When the group started distributing the food in 1999, council gave its OK — but only if there were no complaints arising from the activity.
The 40 to 60 people who get the food are “generally polite and very grateful,” Coole said.
“There’s just a wonderful feeling of people coming together, people eating together . . . a sense of warmth and community.”
“The complaint “did really seem to come out of nowhere. If there were problems we’d be more than happy to find a way to address them.”
Volunteer Kelly Anthony, a health sciences professor at the University of Waterloo, said many of the people who take soup and groceries are in wheelchairs or have disabilities. Some insist on making donations — money they can’t afford — in exchange for the food.
Anthony said she has never seen fIghting or panhandling. Sometimes when food is being given away, a small crowd may develop for a few minutes. But it never gets so crowded that anyone would have to walk into the street to pass by, she said.
Volunteers in the group get donations of produce and bread to give away.
On Saturday mornings, they cook pots of soup in a kitchen at the Working Centre in downtown Kitchener that is inspected by the Region of Waterloo health department. Then they bring the soup and food to the covered area on King Street West outside Williams Coffee Pub and give it away.
Williams supervisor Christine Young said the restaurant has no problem with the volunteers.
“As far as I know, there have been no complaints,” she said.
Today, the group plans to still give soup and food away, but will do so on Duke Street West, behind City Hall.
Lawyer Hal Mattson, who isn’t a member of the group, said in an interview that a business or person who complains should be forced to identify themselves, “rather than hide behind the city clerk.” Otherwise it’s too easy for someone to complain, just because he or she doesn’t like poor people gathering nearby, he said.
Filed under: Food, Food Not Bombs
Clearly the Food without Bombs is just one of many intimidating eye sores that have stopped any moment to reverse the course of Downtown Kitchener.
Most residents that don’t live downtown are petrified to come downtown because the real and perceived threats.
Many of the people that have obtained food are drug addicts, sellers, and prostitutes, I know because I live downtown.
Food without Bombs is more concerned about their political message, as the hungry will find them anywhere, they are and would probably be less embarassed looking for handouts on the main street in everyone’s site. I am sure they would prefer an more discreet location. So why does Food without Bombs have to be front and center?
If the city cannot get these kind of perceptual risks under control, then more and more businesses will leave and the downtown will become literally a ghetto, I don’t think that is what anyone wants.
It will be interesting to see if this is posted, as this organization is all about free speech, I wonder if that still pertains to divergent views?
Being a person who at one point was a homeless youth in downtown kitchener, I never had much use for Food Not Bombs. I’ve done quite well for myself and have gone to college, and I am currently a loyal patron of David’s Gourmet.
Food Not Bombs is a self serving political group who use ‘feeding the homeless’ as a sham to push their anti-capitalist, anti ‘establishment’, and the rhetoric them and other fringe organizations that they so closely associate themselves with.
These guys were asked to move. And yes, maybe some businesses called it to the city’s attention. These guys are just taking cheap political shots because there was a ‘gourmet grocery store’ VS free food. its not that simple
When it all boils down Food not Bombs was told to take their operation elsewhere, off of municipal property. The municipality has every right to do so without asking. Its the city’s property. especially if they are operating without a license. Where they are now located is even closer to at least 2 other soup kitchens within a block. thjey should be happy that they were rezoned to an area with potential clientele!
As a side note, I have celiac disease. David’s Gourmet has one of the larger selections of gluten free foods in the tri cities. For those who have celiac diease and wheat/gluten sensitivities, i encourage you to check out their downtown store! its at the back! entire gluten free racks!
Its people like Food Not Bombs that dont want ME to eat because of their own selfish political agenda.
Wow. How disgusting that one business like David’s gourmet can completely destroy a 9 year old tradition of why I felt like I wanted to live in Kitchener. One man. One very very selfish man. And then the responses to the fact that 40-60 homeless people do not have food on Saturday’s is simply “GO TO DAVID’S GOURMET!”. I have officially boycotted David’s gourmet, as has my entire family. I was one of their most loyal customers, until I heard a terrible protest at City Hall telling everyone he was going to have his own food booth with tonnes of bloody meat instead of the stupid vegetarian food that food not bombs provides. This was sarcastic…not a hand out to the community of protein:)
There are many other places that sell gluten-free products…I suggest the Natural Health food store on Bridgeport, or EPICURE selections. Often less pricy, going to these stores will help us drive businesses that want to take from our region rather then give back out of the picture.
Practically, it sickens me that in a city that prides itself on being kind and generous to those in need, a corporation can over rule the consensus of the community? How is THAT for a political message Mr Noble? Ms. Petrosov? If you WERE homeless before, you should know how hungry you get. If you WERE really in that much need before, you should know how amazing it feels to be out in public and not ashamed of gathering in a public place with the rest of the community for free food. Or did you hide and starve, so the people of your city did not need to face the reality that you existed…that would be better wouldn’t it? If we could all go to our little comfy houses, with our little comfy blankets, turn on our loud TV and pretend it’s not on our doorstep.
Well let’s do that! Let’s force a group that only does good, that only strengthens the community to hide behind city hall. It sounds like our City Council members really stand up for all the citizens! One complaint ruining 40-60 people’s days every week! WOW!!!
I must say, I have lost a little bit of my pride in this city, and I have lost total and utter confidence in David’s Gourmet.