Charity’s Neighbors Want It Out
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Fearing that vandalism and vagrancy will be the unwelcome result of having a soup kitchen in the neighborhood, residents of the city’s west side turned out to complain to the City Council about Someone Cares Soup Kitchen moving to their part of town.
After losing its lease at First United Methodist Church, where it had served hot lunches to the poor for four years, Someone Cares said Friday it will move to Costa Mesa Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church. The charity began serving meals there Monday.
“I don’t think we need a skid row soup kitchen in our neighborhood,” resident Phil Morello told council members on Monday. “I think we should get rid of it entirely.”
City Manager Allan L. Roeder said the city cannot shut down a soup kitchen, explaining that only the church that houses the charity has that power.
“At this point in time, we don’t believe we have legal recourse to regulate it,” Roeder said.
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