Gainesville, Florida Homeless Advocates Continue to Fight Meal Limit

The battle continues in Gainesville, Florida to overturn an inhumane 130-meal-limit at local soup kitchens. Advocates have been fighting for months and show no signs of backing down until this ordinance is abolished.

One local group that has been very active in this cause is the Coalition to End the Meal Limit Now! They recently organized a protest outside the mayor's annual State-of-the-City speech event and they presented city officials with a mock-Oscar award for "Best Fantasy." Now that's creative activism!

Change.org members have also come out in large numbers in support of this cause. We continue to tell Gainesville officials that this is inhumane and just plain wrong. To date, the petition has close to 6,000 signatures.

While the meal limit remains in place, it seems some local political hopefuls are gaining sympathy for the cause. Three city commission seats are up for grabs in a March 15 election. Thirteen people are vying for the positions, and four of them have spoken out against the meal limit.

Current city officials remain fixed in keeping the meal limit in place. City Commissioner Thomas Hawkins clearly favors those who own a home to those who do not. He recently stated: “When the city commission makes land use and zoning decisions, we’re responsive to the needs of property owners and single-family neighborhoods. I think if you were to draw a hierarchy of our responsiveness to citizen demands, those residents end up at the top of the pyramid because they’re the fundamental, basic, building block of our community and our city.”

He seems to share the distorted view of some people in our nation that those who are homeless or in poverty are somehow "less than" everyone else. It is this thinking that keeps such a cruel ordinance in place. It is also this way of thinking that reinforces the cycle of poverty and does not allow for people to improve their situation.

Please continue to spread the word on this important issue. Let's make it to 6,000 signatures and beyond. With continued effort and petition signatures, Gainesville officials will feel the pressure and have no choice but to repeal the meal limit!

Photo Credit: Coalition to End the Meal Limit Now!