In 38 States, the Church cannot make insurance payments for those in need - or why the Church doesn't do more to help the poor

Over the past several years, I've written several times about why the Church doesn't do more to help the poor. Each time I had the same answer: the government too often gets in the way and prevents the Church from helping the poor.

Writing today for the Catholic News Agency, Matt Hadro provides yet another example of how the government prevents the Church from doing more to help the poor:

As churches and charities are legally shut out of helping pay people’s high medical costs in most states, congressmen and advocates are rallying to “allow charities to be charitable.”

“People with chronic, rare, and acute diseases have the right to get the help from third party organizations, and insurers have no sound reason to deny these payments,” said Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.), a co-sponsor of the Access to Marketplace Insurance Act.

The bill would lift bans on charitable medical payments for health plans on 38 state exchanges [more].

We will see if the Congress will allow the Church to more easily assist the poor with their medical care.

Ticketing Good Samaritans - or why the Church doesn't do more to help the poor

On Tuesday evening, 14 April 2015, Joan Cheever, a chef in San Antonio, Texas, set out  to offer food to those without homes and those without food - including the working poor - in the seventh largest city in the United States of America and even established a 501(c)3 nonprofit food truck - The Chow Train - to assist in these efforts. All of this is done without funding from any branch of government.

Despite having done this for the past ten years, Cheever was ticketed and given a fine of $2,000 for - get this - "serving – people – without a permit":

Officer Marrota: So you can take it to court and tell the judge exactly what you are telling me.

Cheever: So what’s the citation for?

Officer Marrota: For serving – people – without a permit. You are not allowed to serve. That is the city of San Antonio.

Cheever: So any Good Samaritan that offers food for people that are in need or are homeless...

Officer Marrota: That’s great. You are a Good Samaritan...

Cheever: No, but…

SAPD Officer Marrota: It’s very nice that you are doing that. However…

Cheever: Do Good Samaritans get tickets in San Antonio?

Officer Marrota: Yes [more].

Notice the difficulty Officer Marrota seems to have had in even referring to the poor as "people." This especially sad and troubling for one sworn to protecting the people.

On The Chow Train's Facebook page, Cheever provided more information into her questions about the ticket and fine:

When I talked to the health department and said WE--THE CHOW TRAIN-- are the caterers of the poor, they said, that's ridiculous. They don't have a caterer. When I said, what is the difference betw[een] me bringing food into the park vs. the age old tradition of families camping out and cooking AND serving food on Easter Sunday, they told me -- those people are their friends and family. I said the peeps are MY FRIENDS and I see them on a more regular basis than my own family. I asked where in the HEALTH CODE does it define friends and family. The health dept. said don't be ridiculous Ms. Cheever. They are NOT your friends and they are NOT your family. And they hung up on me. Let me be very clear: I AM THE CATERER to the homeless AND working poor of this city. I am not a criminal. My nonprofit is made up of GOOD SAMARITANS. It is bad enough and horrible enough to criminalize the poor. Now to call Good Samaritans criminals [more]?

This, government interference, is - as I've said before - no small part of why the Church does not do more to help the poor (and here and here).

To her good credit, Cheever refusing to stop feeding the hungry and will argue her case on court under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We will, after all, be judged on how we responded to those in need around us. Remember Jesus' words to those welcomed into the kingdom of heaven: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matthew 25:35). Remember, too, his words to those cast out: "For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43a stranger and you gave me no welcome" (Matthew 25:42-43).

If you would like to support the laudable efforts of The Chow Train, you make a donation here.

90-year-old man arrested a second time for feeding the homeless

Three days ago I shared with you the story of a 90-year-old man in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida who was arrested for feeding the homeless.

Refusing to be intimidated by the local authorities, the same man went again the next day to continue his work of feeding the homeless and was arrested again. For feeding the homeless. Frankly, it boggles the mind.

As I've said before, this is why the Church doesn't do more to provide assistance for the poor, especially the homeless. Too often the government refuses to let the Church do what she does better than government can ever hope to do.

Why the Church doesn't do more to help the poor (continued)

Police have Ft. Lauderdale, Flordia have arrested three people - including a ninety-year-old man - for the crime of giving food to the homeless:

On Sunday, the city charged three people, including two ministers and a 90-year-old homeless advocate, and they could face up to 60-days in jail for their so-called crime.

“I fully believe that I am my brother’s keeper. Love they neighbor as thy self,” explained Arnold Abbott.

90-year-old Abbott prepares hundreds of meals each week for the homeless in the kitchen of the Sanctuary Church.

“We serve two entrées at every feeding,” Abbott said.

But Abbott’s work now has him in trouble with the law [more].

The three now face a $500 fine and time in jail.


People often ask why the churches do not do more to help the poor. I've suggested before (in April of 2013 and again in March of 2014) that governmental interference is no small part of the answer.

Just to remind you that this is not an isolated case, just a few months ago the city of Daytona Beach, Florida ticketed a couple (four times) for feeding the homeless. My two previous posts on this topic contain links to similar stories (one of which happened in Miami, Florida), but the links are no longer good.

The Church - and men and women of good will - want to help the poor and the homeless, but the government often will not let us.

News round up - May 14th

The news you may have missed:

• The Department of Defense has paid out hundreds of dollars to settle allegations of sexual abuse against civilian workers in Hawaii.

• Archaeologists may have discovered the wreckage of the Santa Maria, the flagship of Christopher Columbus.

• A new global poll conducted by the Anti-Defamation League concerning anti-Semitism suggests 4% of the global population deny the Holocaust occurred. Other findings from the survey are both surprising and concerning.

• A Florida couple has been fined and threatened with imprisonment for feeding the homeless.This story is yet another part of the frequently asked question, Why doesn't the Church do more to help the poor?

• According to a survey conducted by The Art Newspaper, the Vatican Museum ranks as the fifth most visited art museum in the world.

• "The Big Read" program of the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a $9,000 grant to the Quincy Public Library.

• In what seems to be a rather ridiculous stunt, the Military Association of Atheists and Free Thinkers plans to ask the military for "chaplains". Why an atheist should have need of a chaplain - a word which, even in its etymology, only refers to a minister of a chapel or one who prayers - is quite beyond me.

Why doesn't the Church do more to help the poor?

The Catholic Church alone does more throughout the world to alleviate the needs of the poor. Still, there is always more that can be done. Most of the Church's great efforts were initially begun by one or two individual members of the Church, which became institutionalized, if you will, as the efforts grew. The same, I suspect, is true of the efforts to assist the poor being done by the Protestant communities.

Almost a year ago, I raised the question of why the Church doesn't do more to help the poor. Without intending to compile a comprehensive list, I suggested one of the reasons - if not a principle reason, at least in the United States of America, is government regulation and I cited a story as evidence of my claim. Today, I have another story to put forth as evidence for the same:

The Apostolic Pentecostal church in Rockford, IL has been told by the city they can no longer provide help to the homeless.

Apostolic Pentecostal church has been providing the homeless a warming center and temporary shelter in the cold winter months. The city has put a stop to their generosity because of zoning issues and safety hazards [more].

If the government would allow it, the Church could - and would! - do a great deal more to assist the poor and alleviate their plight.

Update - 14 May 2014

A Florida couple has been fined and threatened with imprisonment for feeding the homeless.