The lunch at the Salvation Army, at 200 Fifth St., is supposed
to be for homeless only.
“The lunch at the Salvation Army, at 200 Fifth St., is supposed to be for homeless only. There seems to be people there who are not homeless, with fancy cars, with company trucks and self-employed contractors with their name and telephone numbers on their trucks. Is this meal just for homeless or is it for everyone? Can you check this out please?”
Red Phone: Dear Help For The Needy, Yes, the meal is indeed intended just for the homeless. Salvation Army Office Manager Ellen Torchio, who is in charge of social services, said people who are not homeless occasionally do sneak in, but said they started cracking down on people trying to take advantage of a free meal about three months ago.
“Obviously, they don’t have a ‘I’m homeless’ stamp on their foreheads,” Torchio said. “If we have people coming in who are not homeless, it affects the people who are needy. If it were abused, we might not be able to do it any more. We try not to discriminate, but we only have so many funds.”
The Salvation Army usually serves 35 to 50 meals five days a week but can get as high as 100 during the winter months, Torchio said. And the number of meals served usually increases once the National Guard Armory homeless shelter on Wren Avenue opens. It will open Nov. 30, and it will remain open through March.
Torchio encouraged people who aren’t homeless but still need assistance to check out the Salvation Army’s other programs such as the food pantry and clothes vouchers.
Is this a sign?
“The second entry to drop off students at Ascencion Solorsano Middle School is marked with two arrows pointing in (which usually means ‘no out’). But yet there’s a stop sign for anyone who decides to exit that same way. The third entry specifically has a ‘do not enter’ sign posted because that entry way also has two arrows (pointing out). I’ve seen a number of times, when I drop off my son, cars almost getting into an accident because of not having a sign. Can a sign be posted?”
Red Phone: Dear What About A Sign, Ascencion Solorsano Principal Sal Tomasello agrees with you in the need for a sign at the location and said the school indeed will be placing a No Exit sign there soon. So good caller, hopefully that will make traffic flow a little smoother there.
I think this is yours
“My neighbor has parked his car on my property and has left it there for six months. Is there a law against this? I live in the city limits.”
Red Phone: Dear Tow ‘Em Away, Since it is on your property, it shouldn’t even be parked there at all.
Even if it was on a city street, it would need to be moved every 72 hours as required by the city.
If you can’t locate your neighbor to ask him or her to move the car off your property, you can contact the Code Enforcement at 846-0430. And if the car is still there, give the Red Phone a call again and let us know.
