Charitable chef faces $2000 fine for feeding homeless
A Good Samaritan who serves up free hot meals to the hungry and homeless is facing a fine of up to $2000 over a permit dispute.
Joan Cheever, a chef and founder of non-profit mobile food truck The Chow Train, which has been feeding San Antonio's homeless population for a decade was stopped and penalised for not having a proper permit as she handed out meals in Maverick Park on Tuesday night.
Cheever is a licensed food handler and has a permit for her mobile truck, but police issued a ticket for transporting and serving the food from an 'unlicenced' catering vehicle, expressnews.com reports.
Officers argued she did not have permission to serve food in any vehicle other than her registered catering truck.
Cheever was issued a citation, which carries a fine of up to $2000, and is due to face the Municipal Court on June 23.
She said she will fight the penalty, arguing that under the 1999 Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, she has a right to serve food to the homeless because she considers it a free exercise of her religion.
Cheever has vowed to continue serving food to the city's neediest people every week despite her upcoming hearing.
