Kenosha woman told to stop home cooking for homeless

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KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Kenosha woman cooks meals from her home and serves them to the homeless and needy every day. Now, health officials are telling her she needs a commercial kitchen to serve the food. 

Every day for the past couple of months, Arnetta Griffin has cooked for the needy and homeless. She said it really picked up after a nearby soup kitchen moved, making it harder people to get food. Twice a day she brings home cooked meals to the corner of 22nd Ave. and 61st St.  in Kenosha. Griffin said her and her family serve up to 100 meals a day to adults and children. Dennis Hampton comes every day. 

"I don't have no food, no nothing, but they be here to support me," Hampton said. 

Arnetta said there are people in need who come every day. She hopes to support them.

"They want to see someone who cares and we really care about them," Griffin said. 

Griffin's program 'God's Kitchen of Kenosha' started back in May. Since then, it has grown and she's been getting more donations. Griffin's family buys the food and serves free meals.

However, this week she was asked to meet with the Kenosha Division of Health. While she said they were kind and appreciated her cause, she said officials told her that she needed to find a new location soon. While state law exempts people who provide meals for free from restaurant codes, Griffin is still required to prepare the food in a commercial kitchen.

Now she's worried about where she'll go. She's currently looking for a place where she can continue to cook with love for the people who need it most.

"They feel like ain't got one one, but they've got Jesus and they got me," Griffin said. 

We reached out to the health department for comment, but have not heard back yet. 

You can donate to her cause here: https://www.godskitchenofkenosha.com/donate.

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