GOP Co. Commissioner wants food bank to turn away illegal residents

[JPZenger]

http://www.readingeagle.com/re/news/1562416.asp

"Food bank director: IDs can't be checked
Peg M. Bianca addresses a county commissioner's concern...

Reading PA. Eagle

Recipients of free food must sign a form certifying that their income is low enough to qualify but they cannot be asked for proof of income or citizenship, Greater Berks Food Bank Executive Director Peg M. Bianca said Thursday.

County Commissioners Mark C. Scott, Judith L. Schwank and Thomas W. Gajewski Sr. invited Bianca to a meeting because Scott raised concerns earlier in the week about ineligible people receiving food....

“This is a big problem for our county,” Scott said. “Are we doing anything that makes it easy for people to come here from out of the area to receive freebies?”...

“The amount of food we distribute comes to about 50 pounds a person annually,” Bianca said. “If you want to stand in line for hours in sub-zero temperatures to get a bag of food, I would say you're needy.”
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My comment: Food banks in PA are provided not only with Federal support, but also with the support of many volunteers, charitable donations and local places of worship. I don't believe it is the place of one County Commissioner to try to tell these non-profits which types of needy people they can and cannot serve.

[gratuitous]

1. If the food bank isn't funded by the County

Then perhaps Commissioner Scott would be well advised to keep his big fat proboscis out of their affairs.

I note with some amusement that Scott was worried that ineligible middle class folks were getting Food Bank assistance, and possibly selling the food for (gasp!) drugs. But once the conversation turned to effective treatment for drug abuse and funds for low-income housing (two issues decidedly under the purview of the county commission), Mr. Scott appears to have lost interest in the subject.

[yellowcanine]

2. And his fat gluteus maximus as well. I'll bet HE gets more than enough to

eat.