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jeff grabowski is trying to end hunger in chicago; for his efforts he has been bureaucratically persecuted. this is his story. --- CELEBRATING BOXING DAY, CHICAGO-STYLE On December 26 the U.S. media usually focuses on what the final retail sales were during the holiday season and how many people were lined up at 7 AM to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales. In other parts of the world, the day after Christmas is a holiday called Boxing Day. Families celebrate by getting together to volunteer their time at homeless shelters or by donating food and clothing to the needy. The City of Chicago has found a unique way of celebrating Boxing Day. On December 26, I had to defend myself at a municipal hearing for facilitating the donation of 600 pounds of fresh vegetables to city soup kitchens. The charges: two counts of "Deceptive Practices" and one count of "Operating a Business Without a License". Apparently, what set this whole saga off was the letter I faxed to the Department of Consumer Services on October 22, 2001: ******** Assistant Commissioner Buscemi, As a food coordinator with Plant a Row for the Hungry -Chicago, I realized that vendors at city Farmer's Markets discarded large quantities of unsold fruits and vegetables at the end of each market. While visiting the Sunday Wicker Park Market in September, I came in contact with Nichols Farm and Kohler Farm, who agreed to donate food at the end of the session. Three weeks in a row, I picked up over 200 pounds of unsold perishable food and brought it twice to Pacific Garden Mission and once to St. Pius V in Pilsen for use in the kitchen. The farmers told me that they always have unsold food that they would throw on a compost pile when they got home. I became curious about other Farmer's Markets, and with the help of Margo Giannoulis (at the Dept. of Consumer Services), I was directed to the Division Street Saturday market that had several large farmers present. After talking to most of the vendors selling fresh food, it became evident that all were willing to donate what they couldn't sell, but they didn't know how. We need to start a redistribution program that takes this food to soup kitchens that could use it. To my understanding, the Chicago Food Depository used to stop by at the end of each market, load all the unsold goods on a truck and bring it back to their warehouse. The Health Department stopped them one day, claiming that the food was too dirty. (Note: I was later told that the reason the pick-ups stopped was that the Depository had trouble finding weekend drivers.) Perhaps the easiest way to circumvent the health inspections would be to have the farmers make donations directly to a soup kitchen on their way out of town. Our organization has a list of soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food pantries in the city and suburbs on our web page (www.parchicago.com) which can be used to find a convenient drop-off location. Other possibilities include trying once again to have the Food Depository make pickups, or to schedule individual soup kitchens or food pantries to make pick-ups at the end of a market. Your office has a close relationship with each farmer. It would be great if you could mention this idea to them at one of the group meetings. I would be interested in presenting this information to them at a meeting if you were to let me know in advance. We also need feedback from the farmers such as which day they would be most likely to have excess food. In my estimate, a well-organized pick-up schedule could generate 5,000 pounds per week (perhaps 80,000 lbs per summer) of donated perishable fruits and vegetables. This is food that would otherwise be thrown away or composted. I would really like to work with you in any way possible to utilize this source of food to feed the hungry, and am interested in hearing any ideas that you have. Similar to the requirement of farmers participating in neighborhood markets, perhaps you could require that the farmers donate unsold goods on their way out of town. Please let me know what you think. Sincerely, Jeff Grabowski ******* The Department of Consumer Services was so offended by this letter that they quickly responded with a series of threatening phone calls to me at work from high-ranking department officials, Connie Buscemi and Isabel Esparza. They demanded that I meet with them at City Hall within 48 hours to prove that I had good intentions and was not using these donated vegetables for personal gain. I tried to assure them over the phone that I was legitimate and offered to schedule a meeting for the following week. They said I would "be making a big mistake" if I couldn't attend a meeting on their terms. With much apprehension, I showed up to the meeting with my father (with whom I have been working on this volunteer project) and brought the following: an article written about us published in the Sun Times; a letter from the pastor of St. Pius V and a letter from a volunteer at Pacific Garden Mission validating that I did indeed deliver fresh vegetables to both locations. This proof seemed worthless to them and they continued to scold us. The entire time I kept thinking that this was a classic case of guilty until proven innocent. They were upset that I had mentioned the Farmers Markets pickups on our website. They also claimed that I did not have their permission to solicit donations from the farmers in the first place, and suggested that I was illegally running a business out of my apartment. After experiencing this one-hour verbal assault, I wasn't surprised in early November when they sent a Consumer Investigator to visit me at work, write three citations and a notice to appear at the December 26 hearing. The investigator told me I was lucky: before he came to write me up he was in a meeting where they were discussing SIX city codes that I had broken. At the hearing, I was still persecuted. The two deceptive practice charges were dropped and I ended being charged with only the operating without a license. The total charges: $225. All this at a time when city shelters are at capacity and demand for meals high. All this on a tightened city budget. All this after 9-11, when there are more serious issues to be concerned about and spend tax payers' money investigating. No one, especially not someone who has invested a large amount of free time to help others, should have been treated in the manner that I was. In addition to the mistreatment I received from City Hall, my father and I probably collectively wasted 500 hours worrying about these charges, tracking down evidence to "prove my innocence", and discussing it with others. As if the holidays weren't busy enough. One thing is for sure. The next time I want to volunteer my time to help those less fortunate than me, I will certainly think twice. It can get you in a lot of trouble. Jeff Grabowski Wicker Park