Stop harassing good folk who care for the homeless

Published: 7 July, 2011

• I AM appalled to say that I have personally witnessed the disgraceful harassment of people who are doing their level best to assist the poorest within our community. 

Yet again Camden Council are persecuting Food For All in an attempt to prevent them from distributing free meals to homeless people. Food For All is an award-winning organisation run by the Hari Krishnas and every day they feed the poorest people in Camden Town, Kentish Town, Holborn and York Way. 

Food For All have been doing this since 1990, yet all of a sudden the council has sent traffic wardens to stop them serving free food to the homeless and elderly.

Food For All are entitled to stop for 20 minutes on the yellow lines as are other people in the area. It would seem, however, that the council have decided to harass Food For All via discriminatory application of the Road Traffic Act. Food For All have now received two tickets – an outrage considering what they do. 

A delivery of alcohol to a business would be allowed 20 minutes’ unloading time unhindered. 

Apparently the distribution of free food to homeless people is unacceptable.

Free food runs are not the end of Food For All’s endeavours to assist homeless people. Computer courses and drug counselling are among the many positive programmes they run to enable the disenfranchised to transform their lives. 

Alienation is one of the biggest barriers preventing homeless people from taking the initial steps necessary in order to take control of their lives.  

Their free food not only offers much-needed sustenance, but also a vital point of human contact– often the first step towards building stability and self-esteem in the life a homeless person. 

Food For All are an amazing group. 

I have watched as their services have been taken away bit by bit through prejudice, but now it’s time to make a stand and stop this bullying. 

EUGENIE (RED JEN)
MATTHIAS 
Arlington Road, NW1