ANAHEIM – Councilwoman Lucille Kring says ceasing food deliveries might mitigate complaints from several nearby residents of increased crime reported at Twila Reid Park.

City officials said they plan to track down churches and advocacy groups that feed homeless people there to follow the councilwoman’s request.

“It makes them feel good, but it doesn’t do anything for the residents,” Kring said Tuesday night during the City Council meeting. “So I would like them, immediately, to stop feeding the homeless.”

Cindy Massaro, founder and organizer of a Costa Mesa potluck, said it was “disturbing” that local cities are asking nonprofits to stop feeding the homeless at local parks.

Once the groups are identified, they will be invited to participate in the Anaheim Homeless Collaborative, which works to provide housing, food and other long-term solutions for homeless people, city spokesman Mike Lyster said.

“Based on our experience with the Anaheim Homeless Collaborative and its recent work in La Palma Park and elsewhere in the city, what we have seen to be most effective is a comprehensive outreach program that goes beyond just providing meals and includes referrals to health and welfare services, transitional housing, relocation assistance, employment opportunities and reunification with family,” Lyster said.

La Palma Park, once a popular gathering spot for homeless people, saw a reduction in crime and litter after city officials asked charities to stop delivering food, along with the addition of a dog park in March, Kring said.

Kring asked city staffers to study whether building a dog park at Maxwell or Twila Reid parks could yield similar results, by increasing foot traffic, adding, “It really keeps the homeless out.”

Kring said her church, St. Columban in Garden Grove, feeds homeless people every Saturday on church premises and then sends them away with toiletries and other items.

“That’s how it should be done, that’s how the churches can make a difference, not by coming to our parks,” Kring said during the council meeting. “You have the trash, you got everything that’s incorporated with feeding people who should not be fed there.”

Costa Mesa city officials, too, recently asked a nonprofit to stop feeding people at Wilson Park, saying the lunches dramatically increased the homeless population in the area. The group, Dwelling 222, has continued to holding a weekly potluck lunch despite the city’s plea to stop.

Staff writer Megan Nicolai contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3769 or amarroquin@ocregister.com