Philadelphia woman faces $600-a-day fine for feeding needy neighborhood kids

FOX News  A Pennsylvania woman who offers free lunch every day to low-income children in her neighborhood faces a $600-a-day fine next summer if she continues because she did not clear the food giveaway with township officials.

Angela Prattis donates her time to distribute the meals — supplied by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia — and adheres to strict paperwork, like filling out weekly reports and being visited bi-weekly from a state worker, MyFoxPhilly.com reports.

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“Angela saw it as a way to contribute to the community in a positive way,” Anne Ayella, a member of the archdiocese, said. “There was nothing in it for her.”

Prattis laughed and said, “I don’t make a dime.”

Prattis lived in the township for three years. She reportedly distributes the meals to the 60 or so children at a gazebo on her property during the summer months, when children are home from school.

The Delaware County Times reports that another resident alerted the council about the distribution a few weeks ago. The council investigated and ruled that the practice is not permitted without a variance, the paper reported.

“You have houses here, the roofs are falling in, and they could be focused on a lot of more serious issues than me feeding children,” she said.

Chester Township, which has a per capita income of $19,000 a year, says Prattis lives in a residential zone, hence handing out food to children is not allowed. The township says she needs to go before a zoning board to ask for a variance, which would cost her up to $1,000 in administrative fees.

“I don’t think it’s my responsibility to go to her to say, ‘why don’t you come to talk to me to see if there’s something that we can do to help your program,'” William Pisarek, the Chester Township business manager, said.

Prattis told The Delaware County Times that she is not going to stop feeding the children in the area.

40 thoughts on “Philadelphia woman faces $600-a-day fine for feeding needy neighborhood kids

  1. But of course. Let the “useless eaters” starve and die.

    It’ll be just that many fewer of the billion plus rounds of ammo the ‘government’ will need to use on us.

    1. Angry Grandparent: They are mean spirited bastards. They aughta be the ones starving. I hope those kids never forget that good lady and never forget those crooks that are creating the problem. When some of those kids turn into gang members I hope they go after those council members and have another bloody sunday.

      1. Agreed. The meals are provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and she adhere’s to strict paperwork. The Archdiocese needs to step in for her.

        1. Yes Angel, I hope the archdiocese does need to step up to the plate and maybe even help her. SHE NEEDS A GOOD PAT ON THE BACK SHE DOES !!! she is a realy cool HUMAN BEING!

  2. >William Pisarek, the Chester Township business manager

    This fellow ought to be put in jail. And left there for a while. Since when is feeding the hungry a crime? This nation is headed in the wrong direction.

  3. Don’t even get me started.Those people are public servants and need to get off their fat asses and do their job instead of making excuses about it not being their responsibilty!This woman is providing a service to those children and helping them with her own free time.It seems they get paid to say it’s not their problem.Get a rope!!!!

    1. They are paid to help, not harm. Bureaucracy is not effective timely – they will probably have costly courtroom circus costing taxpayers millions in order to legally waive the fine whilst proving how necessary they are to the community Obviously this is not working well. We are being choked by the same protections we enacted – what is the answer?

  4. Did you notise thet gact that this was a Nabor or sonething like that, that reported this into the comunety aperatus, and then they reacted.

    You see, the problem, and why I tell you that be prepared, this kind of people, that turns in others for idiotic reasons, are everywhere.
    They are the despecable ones, the druling idiot that reacted is just that, an Idiot Savange, a heap og dead meet. And as always, the responce is, I did my jobb.
    Well, in Nurenberg,it dint help them at all, its no exuse for implementing what we all see is grosly overreacting and pure stupidity.

    Its you fellw american that someday turns you inn, for what, who cares, once inside the system,it to late.
    Like Sovjet, every thing done, was acording to the Law.

    peace

    1. Land of the fee and home of the scam.
      Why companies like walmart throw their excess products out instead of donating because the country forces you to pay taxes even if you try to help others.

      In a country where the worst traits of humanity rewarded and even glorified(hatred, violence, selfishness, etc) and punish any good traits its no wonder why things are as crazy as they are. Hell to survive in this society mostly requires people to take on traits of sociopathy.

      As for people who snitch on others who are not harming them those type of people aren’t worth a damn. My mom lives in a home owners association neighborhood(fascists who tell people what they can or cannot do with the lawn they rent from the government(because who actually owns their land anymore?).

      A neighbor with no balls who has been spying on the neighborhood sense I was 15 threatened my mom to tell on her because she was having a garage sale to generate some money to help my auntie with a car payment and I went over that assholes house and threatened him because he has an old truck there that’s been sitting and its against the home owners association rules to have sitting broken down vehicles left on the property.

      Never said a word.

  5. it all because these people are so stupid, they no common scent, if the state says it’s ok then the county should butt out. This is what wrong with this country, too many idiot in government! They all way like to pick on the little guy or lady!

  6. You see this is what I am talking about. And here is the real question. Why didn’t the men whose children were being fed by their fellow American not march down to city hall and arrest the bastards, jail the bastards, try, convict, and punish the bastards? This is the only way it is going to stop and we are going to have to do it, sooner or later.

    1. The men (and women) of these children are probably hard working minimum wage workers barely keeping up with the bills. Being minimum wage, they likely spend many hours each week navigating public transportation just to get to work and back ON TOP OF their shift hours. Between switching buses/trains, working, and then again switching buses/trains to get back home (before the last bus/train leaves them stranded), the bureaucratic offices are probably closed. Can’t call these places on company time or yer fired. Leave a message on your lunch break? Yeah, like they can call you back when you can’t be home during their office hours.

  7. This is insanity in its purest form. This lady is trying to feed children that would otherwise be starving and they’re harassing her with senseless laws?!? Our entire “legal” system needs to be the thrown out the window and returned to the laws in the Constitution. As for the lawyers who wrote up these nonsensical laws, they need to go to the gallows!

  8. I am appalled by the actions of the complaining neighbor, City Council and Pisarek. Shame on all of you for condemning instead of aiding Prattis in her quest to feed those children.

  9. So basically .. the rule is pay a chunk of money to this council before you have permission to spread love and compassion to kids in poverty. Good to know

  10. Hey, instead of complaining, can someone get the e-mail, phone number of the council…and then use your energy to complain to them….show force and unity. And yes, the parents of the children SHOULD complain also, since they are the ones who are benefiting…but of course, a lot of people feel a sense of entitlement. AND are lazy!
    But if some one could get me a number, I WILL call and act.
    Thank you.
    Peace to you and yours.

  11. The lady is an angel to help feed the children. Give her a break and leave her alone. The city fathers need to get a life and tend to the important things. Would you rather see the children starve just to get your $1000. It’s very sad that you councilmen or women can’t see the need for people like Ms. Prattis. Who knows maybe some day one of you will be down on your luck and need a lunch. One never knows what the future holds.

  12. In my not-so-humble opinion… Stop calling it a program. Stop doing paperwork and stop being monitored by the state. Start calling it lunch. You can’t eat in a residential neighborhood? Where are people “supposed” to eat? It’s when you call it a “program” and consent to have your lunch, or as I like to call it your life, under the control of the state that you call in zoning problems. I can share my food with anyone I choose at my home, PERIOD. If I choose to hand bags to neighbors, or neighborhood children that’s between me, the children, and their parents, and is no business of anyone else. Rights can only be lost in two ways: by consent or by force. If by consent, stop consenting. If by force, start fighting. Do not allow ANYONE to tell you who you can and can not associate with, and if that association includes food, so be it.

    1. Good answer.
      Unfortunately, the so-called ‘government’ these days will screw you any way they can for trying to help the destitute and needy.

      1. Yep, if you LET them. 🙂 By creating a “program” she and the involved church made it a bureaucracy. That invited in governmental oversight/intervention. Abolish the “program”, un-invite the unwanted party to the bureaucracy (the “government”) and share food with whoever you want.

          1. Absolutely true, but the “busybody” next door only has a valid complaint if there is something going on. If there is no “program” (or criminal activity) then there is no jurisdiction for the city, county, state or federal government to get involved. The neighborhood busybody calls the government busybody who stops by… “Hey running a feeding program for neighborhood children.” BAHM program = jurisdiction. “Hey having lunch with friends.” No jurisdiction. Or even, “you are uninvited and I am not going to answer your questions. Have a good day, and don’t let the gate hit you on the way out.”

          2. 🙂 That’s what I would do, Jona. I hope this lovely lady figures it out. Like the case in Arizona, that neighbor is the same mentality that throws a hissy and starts problems because children are drawing with chalk in front of their own homes (“It’s an eye sore, the city must stop it”).

    2. “…another resident alerted the council…”
      That’s the despicable scumbag who started this. The neighborhood needs to get together and have a “Come To Jesus” with that resident.

  13. $600 for the fine – $1000 fee to not break the so-called archaic law. I’m not a mathematician but it is smarter for her to be on her gazebo come next summer without some stupid paperwork.

  14. It’s past time for the public to stop standing for this abuse from the officials who are supposed to be serving us. I’ll be expanding my household food production into my front yard next season, starting slowly with some berry bushes, Scarlet Runner pole beans and sunflowers. I’m just waiting for some city bureaucrat to come to my property and tell me to tear it out. The results would not be pretty–I have a mental image of myself (at nearly 60) chasing these fools down the driveway with a rake. The solution is a simple one, though not pleasant: DO NOT COMPLY!

    1. Amen Doreen, AMEN!
      By the way, if you could get video of that, “myself (at nearly 60) chasing these fools down the driveway with a rake.” I would love to see it.

      “DO NOT COMPLY!”

  15. I love my Country without a doubt but I am sadden at all the waste and uncaring my Country has become. I have worked in the school systems and even in the school cafeteria , they will throw good food away before letting a child have it due to stupid rules and laws, My husband works for a local garbage company and all the stuff that comes through there heading to the landfill blows my mind, they are not allowed of course to get any of it, but I have often wonder if these companies are throwing away good clothes, bedding, tools, you name it , it is being thrown away , when it should be donated to someone in need.

  16. This fails to mention that Eric Bolling from The Five on Fox News paid the $1,000 for her to get the permit she needs to keep feeding them

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