Manna Meal, which had, until last week, operated for years out of St. John’s Episcopal Church, provides a vital source of food and respite for ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s homeless and low-income population. Sacred Heart Grade School has, for decades, provided one of the best elementary school educations one can attain anywhere in West Virginia. The organizations are separated by two lanes of asphalt on Leon Sullivan Way, which has, unfortunately, created some fraught situations over the years.
Things came to a head last week. Manna Meal shut down its operation at the church and moved several blocks north on Leon Sullivan, operating out of a food truck outside the Equinox Men’s Shelter. The decision was made after police arrested a Manna Meal client who approached the entrance of Sacred Heart while students were entering the building, and allegedly lunged at a woman holding a child.
That same day, a man reportedly was engaging in lewd conduct near the school, although that incident was referenced in a statement from the church, and the Manna Meal kitchen was closed when it happened.
Still, the location of the service draws concern from the parents of Sacred Heart students, and it’s hard to say some of it isn’t justified. Two months ago, a man who was asked to leave Manna Meal tried to start a fight with another individual outside the soup kitchen and died after he fell on a knife he had pulled, police said. West Virginia Watch reported security costs for the St. John’s location and recurring incidents became too much for the program to handle.
Unfortunately, moving to a food truck isn’t a permanent solution. Manna Meal Executive Director Amy Wolfe told the Gazette-Mail that the church location allowed shelter from the elements, a place to sit down and eat, along with space for people’s belongings and access to restrooms. A food truck is certainly less than ideal with winter approaching. As West Virginia Watch reported, those who lined up waiting for the food truck to open last Thursday morning lamented the cold and were worried about the lack of shelter.
Manna Meal organizers told West Virginia Watch they don’t expect to reopen at St. John’s. But where can they go? Is there a place that would offer the proper amount of services without raising hackles and murmurs of “not in my back yard?â€
Although there isn’t an easy answer, there are parties on both sides that want to find it. True, extreme views on homelessness in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä exist, from unlimited compassion to those who think the unhoused should be jailed, freeze to death or starve. But, just as Manna Meal realized it couldn’t continue to operate next to Sacred Heart, there are Sacred Heart parents who want the service to continue and are looking for ways to volunteer their time or resources to make it happen. One would also hope those with the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral at Sacred Heart get involved in working toward an answer.
“No one should feel unsafe, either walking into our building for services or walking into a school,†Wolfe told the Gazette-Mail’s Ashley Perham.
Wolfe’s right. And there’s no reason for those things to be mutually exclusive. Providing meals for those who need them and education to children are aims that should coexist. But it will take some work to reach a reasonable solution.
