No Fowl, Some Harm

This year's fowl fiasco, though, came back to haunt St. Vincent de Paul because of its previous associations with Ligidakis' feeding program.

"I think what he's doing is a great service tothe community," says Chris Becker, St.Vincent de Paul's director of operations. "But I received a lot of nasty phone calls from people upset they hadn't received their meals."

"When we say we're going to serve, we serve," says Laura Knox of St. Vincent de Paul. "We try not to focus so much on the numbers as on the people getting fed. I mean, that's the most important part."

Ligidakis says he'll never stop trying to feed the hungry. But next year, he says, he'll pronounce an early cutoff date to give volunteers time to verify just how needy applicants really are. He says he will personally monitor the screening process, something he wishes he'd taken responsibility for this time around.

"Too many people got involved," he says. "There were too many cooks in the kitchen, and it spoiled everything."

Maiden agrees that the screening process needs to be improved.
"I would be happy to help him develop it," she says. "I'd hate to have anyone turned off by him or this program. He has a really good heart. I don't know anyone else who would do what he does.