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Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg does not believe the government should regulate how it worships and gives food to the homeless. So the Christian-based organization and others are refusing to accept food from the federal government.

(File)

*Updated at 1 p.m. to add comments from New Hope Ministries Executive Director Eric Saunders*

Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg does not believe the government should regulate how it worships and gives food to the homeless. So the Christian-based organization and others are refusing to accept food from the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies published a new regulation in March that bans organizations receiving food from the federal government from requiring people being given food to attend or participate in religious activities. Faith-based organizations are upset about the new rule they say infringes on their ability to worship.

Bethesda Mission is among a handful of other organizations that have decided to forgo USDA food as a result of the new rule. Executive Director Chuck Wingate said he receives about 12,000 pounds of food a year from the USDA -- about 0.5 percent of total food it gives out monthly.

Most of the USDA food, Wingate said, has been used in the organization's homeless shelters and in food bags it gives out.

Bethesda Mission does not require people receiving food or shelter from the organization to pray or attend religious services.

Their decision to stop accepting USDA food was about principles, he said.

"We don't force our faith on anybody else," Wingate said. "But we find the whole idea that the government's going to come in a tell us what we can and cannot do in our own facility to be out of bounds, especially in matters of faith."

Jennifer Powell, of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, said only a few organizations they partner with -- including Bethesda Mission -- have decided to stop receiving USDA food.

While some faith-based organizations have decided to forego USDA food, Powell said others have decided to alter their process -- like conducting pre-meal prayers in another area.

"There are some programs that mandate Bible study or a Christian prayer before the meal," Powell said. "There are alternatives that can be done."

Volunteer Jayden Demmy of Harrisburg and Stephanie Portanova prepare to serve food at Bethesda Mission during its annual Christmas dinner for those in need on December 25, 2012 in Harrisburg. The mission has been providing food and shelter to the homeless in Harrisburg since 1914.

New Hope Ministries Executive Director Eric Saunders said they have never made food contingent on praying or attending a religious service. When the new rule came out, Saunders said he simply reminded staff to make sure any religious activities were done at a different time or place from when people were being served.

"We'll always offer prayer, we'll always offer spiritual counsel for those that want it," Saunders said. "We'll just never make it a requirement."

Saunders said he understands why the regulation was put in place, but also understands why Bethesda Mission has taken the stance they have.

"I have a lot of respect for them," Saunders said, "and the principled stand they took."

Saunders said he believes giving food to hungry people is a religious activity. From that perspective, Saunders said the government is funding a religious activity by letting the organizations care for their communities.

USDA food makes up about 10 percent of the food the New Hope Ministries gives out.

Of the 900 program partners the food bank works with, Powell said only a handful have either decided to no longer accept USDA food or change their practices. The vast majority are still receiving food from the USDA.

"It's wholesome food that can be used to feed many in need," Powell said.

The regulations have to do with the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, often cited as the Founding Fathers' attempt to have a separation of church and state. It reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

Giving food to an organization that requires people to pray can been interpreted to as a violation of the First Amendment.

Norah Deluhery, director of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships at USDA, said in a prepared release that the new regulation would strengthen services offered by organizations while reflecting the "constitutional principles that define our nation."

Wingate said he does not think it will be too difficult to fill in the 1,000 pounds it will no longer receive from the USDA. Losing the USDA food created more of an emotional impact, he said, than an impact on their ability to serve the public.

"The concern had to do with someone coming in from the government and telling us what we could and could not do in our own facility," Wingate said. "That was unacceptable to us."