> MICHAEL SPITZER wrote:
>
> Friday, September 8, 2000
>
> Shelter's religion mandate means no USDA food
>
> By Jacinthia Jones
> The Commercial Appeal
> Memphis, Tenn.
>
> The federal government has kicked one of the city's largest
> homeless shelters out of its subsidized food program because the
> shelter requires people to attend worship services before they
> can eat.
Great!!! The government has no business subsidizing Christian
Missionarys who push their religion down hungry people's throats.
How despicable can you get?
> But this is not a religious freedom case, a government spokesman
> said. The Memphis Union Mission may not require people to do
> anything in exchange for food.
>
> Since its inception in 1945, the Christian-run mission at 383
> Poplar has required anyone coming in for help to attend religious
> services.
That's Christian love for you.
> And for at least 10 years, the mission, a shelter for men, has
> done so while participating in the U.S. Department of
> Agriculture food program.
>
> But during a routine inspection of the mission in July, an agent
> of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture determined that the
> rule that people must attend a worship service before eating
> violated federal laws.
>
> "You can't do that with federal food," said Terry Minton,
> commodities administrator for the Tennessee Department of
> Agriculture, which manages the USDA programs.
>
> "If people are needy and they come into your agency and you have
> our food to give them, they've met all the requirements. You
> can't make them do anything for the food," Minton said.
>
> In order to be reinstated on the food program, Minton said, Union
> Mission must agree to make the worship service optional.
>
> But those who operate the mission say they can't agree.
Damned scumbags.
> "We won't change that. That's the reason we exist," said Rev.
> Mark Calhoun, mission president and CEO. "We exist to promote
> the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Then they should use their OWN damn resources. These people's
missionary business is exempt from taxes, they get free food from
the government as bait for these poor people, AND THEY HAVE THE
NERVE to complain. What unbelievable gall these superstitionists
have.
> "All we're asking for is your time. We don't ask you to work; we
> don't ask you to do anything else but sit in our worship
> service," he said.
>
> The mission receives about a third of its food - about 10 tons of
> meat and other products - from the USDA. It buys the rest for 11
> cents a pound from the Food Bank. Last year the mission served
> more than 166,000 free meals.
>
> Calhoun estimated losing the federal food would cost about
> $30,000 a year. The agency will continue purchasing food from the
> Food Bank and may have to buy from private vendors as well.
Well yeah. Bait's expensive these days.
>
> During his 3?-year tenure at the mission, Calhoun said, he can
> remember only one person complaining about having to attend the
> Christian services.
>
> The food shutoff has been characterized as an issue of the
> separation of church and state by local radio, television and
> print media. Many in the religious community are angry.
That's too bad. Why don't they just donate their own food?
> WREC-AM 60 will broadcast live from 5:30 to 9 a.m. today from
> the shelter to solicit contributions of money and food from
> listeners, said promotions director Michelle Buckalew.
>
> "I guess this has all been a blessing," Calhoun said of the
> support the mission has been receiving.
>
> But Minton said dropping the mission from the government program
> had nothing to do with religion.
>
> "This isn't targeting religious activity. It's simply that you
> cannot put any additional restrictions on receiving the food,"
> she said.
>
> "You can't force people to work for the food. You can't force
> them to attend any sort of classes or counseling or religious
> services or budget classes.
>
> "Our viewpoint is that we're trying to put the food out there
> into everyone's hands who is qualified to receive it, and for an
> agency to make a decision to restrict that individual because of
> some other criteria is more than they are allowed to do."
>
> Other religious organizations receive USDA funds, including
> churches and the Salvation Army.
>
> The Salvation Army receives USDA funding for its Southside
> Community Center and Day Care on Somerville.
>
> "Prayer is not a requirement for any of the services provided by
> the Salvation Army," said spokesman Alexa Robinson.
>
> "So that any religious services that we have available, the
> participation is strictly voluntary."
>
> > With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
> >
> > Friday September 8, 2000; 12:03 PM EDT
> >
> > Clinton-Gore Administration Cuts Off Food to Homeless Shelter
> >
> > The Clinton-Gore administration has ended a federally
> > subsidized food program for one of the largest homeless
> > shelters in Vice President Al Gore's home state because
> > visitors are required to attend a religious service.
> >
> > "The USDA has stopped supplying the Memphis (Tennessee) Union
> > Mission with 12 tons of subsidized food because the Christian
> > organization requires that needy people attend a prayer
> > service before being fed," reported this week's Memphis
> > Flyer, a local city newspaper.
> >
> > Reverend Mark Calhoun told the Flyer that the food cut-off
> > will hurt the Mission's effort to feed the city's homeless
> > population.
> >
> > "They were mainly meats, and the people we feed need
> > protein," he said. "It's a hard time with the holidays coming
> > up."
> >
> > The Clinton-Gore administration has told the mission that the
> > food program can continue only if Calhoun agrees to make the
> > prayer service optional. But says the reverend, "That's not a
> > choice for us. Prayer has been in our charter since 1945.
> > It's the reason we exist."
> >
> > So far this year the Memphis Union Mission has supplied over
> > 3,000 meals to the city's homeless, many of whom are
> > African-American and Hispanic.
> >
> > The story of the Clinton-Gore administration food cut-off was
> > at first ignored by the statewide Tennessee print press, but
> > Memphis talk radio station WREC has made the story a cause
> > celebre all week.
> >
> > WREC program director Paul Davis told NewsMax.com Friday, "We
> > took the story out of the Memphis Flyer and just started
> > talking about it on the air. Our listeners really became
> > upset about it."
> >
> > Friday morning Davis and WREC morning man Craig Robbins
> > staged a live broadcast from the Memphis Union Mission. "We
> > were asking people to help in any way they can," Davis said.
> >
> > After the Clinton-Gore food cut-off, Rev. Calhoun sent
> > Memphis residents a letter he dubbed a "Hungergram," asking
> > that they contribute food or money to the mission.
> >
> > On Friday, the Memphis Commercial Appeal finally picked up
> > the story.
> >
> > To contribute to the Memphis Union Mission, call (901)
> > 526-8403.
Please send loaves and fishes.
Joshua2
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