DLA For Sunday 081912

Fined for doing the right thing.

Hey folks, 

This is the sort of thing that drives me absolutely nuts. It really does. I applaud this woman for doing the right thing. Here is a Lunch Lady at a school, Youth Pastor at her church, Mother of three, who sees a need in her community, hungry children. 

So what does she do? She FEEDS them. Yup. She feeds hungry children. One of the other reports I saw, hold on, let me see if I can find it. Yeah here it is. The Daily Times - Chester Township vows to fine the lunch lady

She she began distributing the meals from the gazebo in her yard

Township Council Chairman Stanley Kester said the township was notified of the distribution via a telephone call from another resident a few weeks ago. He asked the township solicitor, Stephen Polaha, to investigate the matter,

So some self important busybody neighbor called and complained about her feeding children from her Gazebo. I wonder if the neighbor that called and complained was White. Just wondering. So the Township decided that she needs to cease and desist, or pay up. Here is the story...

LA Times: Lunch lady faces fine for feeding poor kids in Pennsylvania

Angela Prattis Faces $600 Fine for Feeding Needy Children

By Rene Lynch

August 17, 2012, 1:10 p.m.

Lunch lady Angela Prattis thought she was just doing God's work, handing out free lunches to hungry children in a Pennsylvania neighborhood. But even acts of altruism, it seems, must bow to red tape.

National outrage has erupted after Prattis found herself running afoul of Chester Township zoning laws and threatened with a $600 fine if she continued, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

Moreover, she faces a $1,000 fee if she wants to continue performing her good deeds, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The lunch lady, who is also a youth pastor at her church, was told that she needed a township zoning permit continue to hand out lunches outside her home. And the approval process requires an official hearing. And that hearing would cost her $1,000, the Inquirer reported.

It was enough to raise questions about whether Prattis could continue her work. She is a married mother of three and also a trained volunteer with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Nutritional Development Services, which supplies the food she gives out, according to the Inquirer.

The food is paid for by the state, according to the Inquirer, which also reported that program representatives had inspected and approved Prattis' operation.

The stalemate has prompted an outpouring of support. So far, several in the community offered to cover the $1,000 bill. She has received dozens of  calls from others offering to do whatever is needed to keep the lunch lady on the job, and a law firm has also offered to represent her for free.

Prattis told the Inquirer that she's grateful for the offers but has not taken any money yet because she's still hoping authorities will waive the fee.

The Inquirer said it spoke to the township's acting solicitor, Murray Eckell, who acknowledged that the incident is giving local government a black eye. But he said the township is in a difficult position.

"Suppose a child gets hurt on her property," Eckell was quoted as saying. "Will the family sue the township? What if somebody gets food poisoning?

"What she is doing is commendable.... But if we don't have laws, there's chaos. It's a difficult situation for the township to be in."

NBC10 says Prattis plans to attend the next township meeting in a bid to clear up the controversy, but until then she plans to continue feeding children.

The Chester Township manager did not return a phone call seeking comment by the time this article was posted online.

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Of course not. The Mayor is, most likely, nothing more than a coward. Congratulations Angela Prattis, you are most definitely the Winner, of the Display of Logic Award. You are doing God's Work, screw what the Township says. Are they feeding hungry children? Or are they wasting money when not lining their pockets. What is that neighbor doing to help people? Most likely nothing. You are doing the right thing and you have the Country behind you. It's time more people stand up to Governmental Nonsense and say ENOUGH!
Peter