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Thursday, March 28, 2024

A recommendation to change the city soup kitchen meal limit to a three-hour time limit was passed unanimously by the Gainesville City Plan Board on Thursday.

The recommendation will go to the Gainesville City Commission in about a month. At that time, the commission will decide whether to change the limit, which is currently set at 130 meals per day.

Seventy-five to 100 people a day have to be turned away after that 130th meal, especially near the end of the month, said Kent Vann, St. Francis House executive director.

The time limit would allow an unlimited number of people to eat at the St. Francis House during the time frame. While the recommendation will change the rule for all Gainesville soup kitchens, the St. Francis House is the only organization that is required to follow the limit.

Citizens spoke in favor of changing the limit to a time frame. They said the 130-person cut-off is inhumane and questioned the limit’s effectiveness.

“The meal limit, which was intended as a dispersal of services, has failed to disperse services,” said Joe Jackson, a Gainesville resident and UF law professor.

Dan Harmeling, a downtown resident, was the only person to speak in favor of keeping the meal limit.

He said downtown residents were promised their neighborhoods would be upheld as safe, business-friendly places to live. 

By increasing homeless services, Harmeling said, the city would break that promise.

“I believe very strongly that these promises should be kept today,” he said.

Vann said he is optimistic that the Gainesville City Commission will pass the limit change.

If nothing else, he said he’s happy to see how many citizens support the St. Francis House.

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“I feel like I just had one thousand more people on our side,” Vann said.

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