While some residents are trying to free their neighborhoods of the drug trade so their children can play outside safely, the West End is apparently mobilizing to crack down on a real scourge: a food pantry being operated by the Grace Seventh-Day Adventist Church on Prospect Avenue.

According to the church website, “part of being a good neighbor is providing services to our surrounding community.

But these services have created enough concern for some that the West End Civic Association (WECA) has sent an email to its members soliciting comments about the pantry.

Gail Billet, the President of WECA, says that the City asked her to “provide WECA’s position on this topic,” as Licenses & Inspections will be meeting on September 12th at 9am to discuss this item.

It seems a no-brainer to allow humans access to the basics — food and shelter — especially when the goods and services are provided through private donation, but Billet says “this is more complex than it appears.”

“Many,” she says, have shown concern about “parking, traffic, zoning, community support, and other thoughts.”

Grace Seventh-Day Adventist Church is located on the section of Prospect Avenue near Elizabeth Park, Faith Assembly of God, and private residences.

Last year when CREC proposed the expansion of a school in the West End, there were also complaints that area traffic would increase.

At time of publication, there is no mention of this issue on WECA’s Facebook page. No word on how WECA fundraiser Dine Around the West End impacts parking and traffic in the area.