News - Local - South County

Saturday, Jul. 26, 2008

People’s Kitchen may get new site to serve its clients

The group that provides meals to those in need gets a temporary home in a church parking lot

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People’s Kitchen appears to have found another temporary home to serve meals to the homeless as it nears a deadline to move out of its current digs in a county-owned building in Grover Beach.

The nonprofit organization that serves free food seven days a week plans soon to be operating from Shouts of Grace church at 675 Grand Ave. in Grover Beach.

The church has agreed to allow the organization to operate in its back parking lot, where neighbors won’t be bothered, according to church officials.

“This has all come together over the past couple of weeks, and we’re just thrilled,” said Betsy Ehrler, a People’s Kitchen program coordinator.

While the church and nonprofit group have reached an agreement, Shouts of Grace Pastor Patrick Sparrow said he’s still working with the city to find out whether the church’s conditional-use permit

would allow the meal service. “We hope it won’t be a problem, but we still have to wait to get the official word,” Sparrow said.

City Manager Bob Perrault confirmed Thursday that he’s still reviewing the use, which must fall under the overall church’s activity, but he expects permission to be granted.

“We’ll be deciding in the next day or so,” Perrault said.

People’s Kitchen provides meals for 50 to 100 people from noon to 1 p. m. daily.

The group served meals at Central Coast Baptist church on South Ninth Street for 13 years until 2005.

It then moved to the Grover Beach Assembly of God church on Rockaway Avenue, where it stayed for two years. But in 2007, neighbor complaints about loitering and alleged drug crimes at the site prompted the city to push the group out of the church.

The county agreed in February to lease a facility at 16th Street and Longbranch Avenue in Grover Beach to People’s Kitchen for $500 a month for three to six months. County Supervisor Jerry Lenthall allocated money from his community project fund to cover the rent for the organization.

But the county now intends to renovate the building to use for office space, and People’s Kitchen has until Thursday to move out.

People’s Kitchen hopes to set up with tables and other supplies at the Shouts of Grace church Saturday.

The group will be able to use the church’s outdoor area until it finds a permanent home — according to church and program officials.

“Since it’s summertime now, … we have three or four months or so to figure out how to provide covering at the lot,” Ehrler said.

A group of service providers and churches is still working on possible sites to provide a South County homeless hub — including shelter, food, mail and phone services.

Local government leaders have agreed to help facilitate the establishment of a homeless center once a location is selected.