A Missouri grandmother is refusing to cease her practice of serving free homemade breakfasts to her community, despite warnings from county health officials. Kathy Kite, of Harrisburg, Missouri, stated that she received a letter in July from the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department indicating she needed to obtain a food permit or face possible legal consequences.
Kite told Fox News Digital that the letter upset her, as she did not understand what she was doing wrong. She interpreted the correspondence as a threat of fines and jail time if she continued the breakfast service. "I wouldn’t stop feeding my children, I wouldn’t stop feeding my family. I’m not gonna stop feeding my community cause they are my family," Kite said. She added, "This is bigger than that. It’s about love and appreciation because they appreciate what I do."
The free breakfast tradition began after the local gas station where Kite works stopped serving food during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers continued to ask for breakfast, prompting Kite to invite them to her home. What started as a small gathering for a few regulars evolved into a larger community event in the town of fewer than 300 people, with residents stopping by for coffee, breakfast, and conversation.
The health department's letter, according to Kite, requires her to install a commercial kitchen in her home, an undertaking she estimates would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. "I live in a 115-year-old home. It’s a beautiful home. I’m not gonna jeopardize the integrity of my home to put a commercial kitchen in to make some free burritos," she stated.
A spokesperson for the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department told Fox News Digital that while food permits are not required for serving family and friends, they are necessary when food is provided to the public, citing the Missouri food code. The department stated that Kite's home had an open sign, a tip jar, advertised food on social media, and a sign in her yard at the time a complaint was received, all indicators of a food establishment.
The department also denied threatening jail time and stated that no citations or cease-and-desist orders were issued. "We sent a letter to Ms. Kite following a complaint we received that food served in her establishment made someone ill," the spokesperson said. "Our role in public health is to work with food establishments to promote safe food practices and prevent food-borne illnesses."
The Goldwater Institute has intervened on Kite's behalf, sending a letter to the Boone County health department demanding an explanation of their legal reasoning. Dave Roland, the Goldwater Institute's director of allied litigation, described Kite's situation as "a textbook example of bureaucracy run amok."