ShareThisBy SARA BURNETT
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
This wasn't exactly what the U.S. Attorney's Office had in mind when it asked for restitution.
On Wednesday, several people dropped off a total of 69 food items at the prosecutor's office _ everything from a bag of beans to a tin of chopped clams.
The food, intended for the children of military families, was the latest attempt by three nuns to pay restitution for damage to a fence that occurred during a 2002 protest at a Colorado missile silo.
Ardeth Platte, Carol Gilbert and Jackie Hudson, all members of the Dominican Sisters order, organized the food drive in lieu of paying the $3,052 cash.
"We don't have the money to pay the restitution, nor would we pay it if we had it," Gilbert said.
Giving money to the U.S. government to reimburse the military violates the sisters' anti-violence beliefs, she added, so the sisters prayed for an alternative.
They came up with the food drive after hearing about military families struggling to make ends meet, and promptly asked supporters across the country to mail a total of 4,000 food items to the assistant U.S. attorney in Denver who is prosecuting their case.
The problem is, the U.S. Attorney's Office doesn't believe food should be accepted in lieu of cash, however worthwhile the cause, and the U.S. Attorney's Office does not intend to serve as a collection site.
"Donating food to help military families and others in need is a tremendously thoughtful act," spokesman Jeff Dorschner said. "We encourage people who are interested in making such donations to go directly to an assistance agency or to a military facility to ensure those in need will benefit directly from this generosity."
Dorschner said the office will keep a list of the items to turn over to Judge Robert Blackburn, who will make the final decision on whether the food is an acceptable alternative. Blackburn ruled in October that the sisters could not perform community service instead of paying for the damage. He also said they could be sent back to prison if they don't pay.
Meantime, the sisters will continue to collect food on the sidewalk outside the U.S. Attorney's Office during business days through Nov. 28. And "thousands" of food items likely will continue to arrive via mail, Gilbert said.
"We can't stop it," she said.
