The city of Orange’s decision last month to shut down Mary’s Kitchen, a volunteer organization that has cared for the homeless for decades, has met with adamant pushback from the community. A group of people—including pastors, attorneys, homeless advocates, volunteers, residents, and formerly homeless individuals—voiced their opposition during a recent Orange City Council meeting. “When my grandmother started the kitchen in 1984, she was shocked by the sheer amount of poverty that she was seeing in her community,” Peggy McAnena Carrillo said during public comments on July 13. “The power of Mary’s Kitchen goes beyond the incredible cooking. It’s a place for [people] to find basic human needs.” Mary McAnena, 82, founded Mary’s Kitchen after helping a homeless woman in Hart Park in Orange, California. The soup kitchen now provides breakfast and lunch, as well as showers and laundry facilities, for around 200 homeless individuals a day, according to the …