Volunteers for Breakfast Brigade. Several volunteers aim to speak with Eugene Council and the Eugene Police Department to discuss issues regarding the permit. (Connor Saurbier/Emerald).
For nearly a decade, Breakfast Brigade – a nonprofit humanitarian group – has been serving breakfast, beverage services and a takeaway lunch to the Eugene homeless community at Washington/Jefferson Park.
On June 29, The Eugene Police Department threatened to arrest members of the organization if they continued to operate without a permit. Breakfast Brigade tried to apply for a permit in October 2022, but were told by the city that they weren’t giving out permits for any park usage according to Lisa Levsen, a board member and volunteer for the organization.
On June 29, The Eugene Police Department threatened to arrest members of the organization if they continued to operate without a permit. Breakfast Brigade tried to apply for a permit in October 2022, but were told by the city that they weren’t giving out permits for any park usage according to Lisa Levsen, a board member and volunteer for the organization.
EPD has since stopped further action, awaiting a meeting between the organization, the head of the Washington/Jefferson Park department and the city manager to discuss the organization’s permit issue. Breakfast Brigade has recently filed for a permit again, but has yet to hear back if it has been confirmed by the city.
A number of volunteer members aim to speak to the City Council, asking for EPD and the Parks and Open Spaces Department to waive the permit, allowing Breakfast Brigade to continue to serve in the interim.
In October 2022, Craig Carnagey – the director of Parks and Open Spaces – told Jennifer Denson, the director of Breakfast Burrito (Breakfast Brigade’s sponsor), the park “needs a rest,” according to Levsen.
“I think the city just wants [the homeless] to go away because there is no other place to solve some of these really complex problems. So it does break our heart because we know them by name,” Levsen said.
Breakfast Brigade has complied with the various requests from the city including retreating from under the overpass onto the sidewalk, gaining liability insurance, taking out all of their trash and leaving no carbon footprint, Levsen explained.
“We’ve spoken in front of the committee, the city council, we’ve met with Mayor Vinis [and] we’ve met with the assistant city manager. We have talked to so many people and so we were really surprised when the police showed up and were threatening to cite and arrest our volunteers because we have been in direct dialogue with them since last October,” Levsen said.
The group serves roughly 75-100 people a day from 9 -10 a.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Breakfast Brigade provides the homeless community with blankets, first aid kits, personal hygiene products and socks in addition to food. Local agencies such as Occupy Medical have also helped serve as well.
The Eugene Police Department released a statement following its interaction with the group last month, stating the reasons for its actions towards Breakfast Brigade.
“Operation of a fixed or mobile concession is not allowed in Washington-Jefferson Park unless a permit is applied for and granted by the City. Because of this, the group was warned but no enforcement actions were taken. The City of Eugene continues to be open to working with the group on how they can conduct their charitable activities within the rules that everyone is being asked to follow in the parks.”
A fixed or mobile concession doesn’t accurately define Breakfast Brigade, according to Levsen, as they are a benevolent feeding group, not a concession. The group is hoping this will help their cause in waving the permit.
Levsen also pointed out the bureaucratic disconnect between city leaders.
“There is a really big cognitive dissonance between our mayor and our city councilors and our county commissioners in our city management. And those two things are not the same thing,” Levsen said.
Some of the people Breakfast Brigade serves have mental issues, physical impairments and battle substance abuse.
“I had a guy come through the line last Friday in pants, no shirt [and] no shoes. He was on drugs and I was serving him coffee. He’s a regular. And then he said ‘you know on the days you’re not here, I don’t eat.’ And he is not the only one of our people that says that,” Levsen said.
These experiences with the community helped spark the start of Breakfast Brigade.
In 2014, Breakfast Brigade started out as two separate feeding groups: Eugene Catholic Workers, founded by Brother Charley Smith; and Badass Feeding Frenzy, founded by Jan Zoll. Due to health problems, Brother Charley retired, merging the two groups into Breakfast Brigade under the new fiscal sponsor Burrito Brigade, which is a Eugene nonprofit aimed at feeding the homeless.
Jan Zoll, a self-described “cheerleader for the underprivileged,” worked for Food For Lane County’s dinner program as the “soup lady” for a few years before taking a break. When she rejoined the feeding community, she felt a sense of connection to the people she was serving.
“We know if they want spicy hot sauce, hot meals and every single one of our volunteers sees those people personally and intimately and makes a connection with them. And I think it might be the only thing that happens that way their entire day. And I think that’s priceless,” Zoll said.
In the nine years Zoll has served with Breakfast Brigade, “the complexion” of who they’ve served has changed. Just within the past few months, five new women in wheelchairs have received resources, as have families with children. Most recently, Breakfast Brigade has served more women than ever, Zoll said.
Although humanitarian feeding groups such as Breakfast Brigade have “fallen by the wayside,” according to Zoll, Breakfast Brigade shows no signs of stopping.
Zoll and Levsen encourage the public to speak to the City Council on their behalf or make donations.
Breakfast Bridge serves roughly 75-100 people per day from Wednesday to Saturday each weekend provides blankets and personal care items to the homeless community
The Breakfast Brigade serves 200 pancakes, 19 dozen scrambled eggs, 200 cups of coffee and a takeaway lunch to 70 + guests on Christmas Eve, 2023 (via the Breakfast Brigade Facebook Page)
