After writing yesterday about how we do what is basically a feeding program every Sunday, I have to admit I am generally not a fan of feeding programs. There are several things that contribute to my bias.
1. Most feeding programs are designed to feed as many people as possible, as cheaply as possible. That means making dishes that no one has ever ordered in a restaurant, like chicken hot dog spaghetti, or mashed potatoes and tuna casserole.
Generally speaking, I think that if someone would not order it, I cannot in good conscience feed it to someone.
2. Most feeding programs are designed with a goal in mind that often has nothing to do with the person being fed.
The street preachers feed folks to share the ‘gospel‘ with them. The city feeds people (or tolerates the soup kitchens that do) in order to have all the homeless in one spot, so they can more easily arrest people with outstanding warrants. (No kidding). Many (but certainly not all) churches feed folks in order to have a nice page on their website, telling about how they are loving ‘the least of these’, or to justify the 5 million dollar building campaign for new Sunday School classrooms.
Our Sunday morning breakfasts are all about the person being fed. There is absolutely no goal or agenda, other than to be able to engage with people, to share a meal with them, to recognize their human-ness and love them without preconditions.
3. Sometimes, the goal is feeding people. In other words, it becomes a process, with a clearly defined outcome, and then the priority is to do ‘it’ as quickly and efficiently as possible. This means you measure the cost, control the portions, move the line along and get the food out there.
About once a month, some church or another will come out with food while we are out there. And honestly, sometimes it is really good food. I have seen fried chicken, sub sandwhiches and more. And our friends, being human, run over to where the free food is being passed out and take it. Then they run back to where we are drinking coffee and eating fruit and hang out with us, often resuming the conversation where it left off.
Feeding programs are not the problem. But neither are they the solution to anything. At their best, they provide opprotunities for engagement and conversation with no expectation of return. At their worst, they are manipulative, abusive and cruel.
People matter. Their stories matter. Their lives matter. They have hopes, dreams, fears and birthdays. It is our goal to only do programs that not only recognize that, but celebrate it.
I completely agree with your assessment that feeding programs are neither the problem or the solution to addressing homelessness.
Unfortunately, until we – as a society – decide to “roll up our shirt sleeves” and get to work at finding effective methods for helping the homeless help themselves, feeding programs will continue to be a necessity in our nation. And, subsequently there will be those who use to programs for some type of agenda other than showing “dignity and respect.”