A Christian faces possible sanctions by officials in Glendale, Arizona, for trying to provide food to the needy. The Rutherford Institute has intervened on behalf of the individual.
Millie Ramirez, as a part of her walk with Christ, has collected food from area grocers and made them available to hurting people.
Rutherford Institute founder John Whitehead tells OneNewsNow why the city has objected to Ramirez's work of charity.
"She had neighbors she knew who were out of work and some homeless people nearby, so she just started putting a shelf at the end of her driveway and allowing people to come up and get the food, and now she's been cited by Glendale city officials," he says.
"They've been harassing her and they say that what she's doing is violating a city code, saying that she's putting furniture on her front lawn."
But the so-called "furniture" is on the driveway and is taken down after the food is distributed. Glendale officials suggest Ramirez is violating the city code by storing materials outside her home and that her charitable activities represent illegal home occupation and illegal land use and are unlawful because she does not have a business license.
"The amazing thing is every day for the last week she's had police and city officials drive by and they're taking pictures of her just to document their case," Whitehead declares. "The only reason, I believe, they haven't moved in and shut down her storage is because we're threatening a lawsuit."
If a lawsuit does ensue, explains the attorney, it will be based on freedom of religion and the constitutional right to due process.