Steve Kersker said he and others overreacted when they didn't get a meal from Carrabba's on Thanksgiving.
By GRAHAM BRINK
Published December 19, 2003
TAMPA - Steve Kersker wants to tell Without Walls International Church that he's sorry for the fuss kicked up over a planned Thanksgiving meal for 140 homeless people.
As of Wednesday, the homeless advocate had plans to protest Sunday outside the Tampa church for what he called a "bait-and-switch." He said the church hoodwinked them out of a fancy meal at Carrabba's, a popular Italian restaurant.
But Thursday, he said the battle was not worth fighting. He said he now realizes that the church wanted to help them, and that there was a misunderstanding about how that would happen.
Kersker said he knows that in his zeal to help the homeless, he's going to look "stupid" sometimes.
The controversy arose Thanksgiving Day when Kersker and a group of needy people discovered that the church planned to feed them traditional turkey and fixings at Carrabba's restaurant in St. Petersburg. They said that officials at Without Walls, who organized the event, promised Carrabba's food.
Instead of eating the meal, Kersker and several other boycotters went to a Starbucks for rolls and coffee.
Kersker later said they felt disrespected by officials at Without Walls. He said church officials never said they would offer a traditional meal rather than food from the Carrabba's menu.
Had the homeless, disabled and mentally ill folks with Kersker known that, he said, they never would have considered showing up for the 9 a.m. meal.
"That's not a special dinner. That's the usual Thanksgiving dinner we get," Kersker said Tuesday. "There are other places in St. Petersburg that serve (a similar) meal in the afternoon. We didn't want to have a Thanksgiving breakfast."
He said they planned to protest outside the church on Sunday. Church officials fired back, saying the reaction was an unwarranted slap in the face.
Thursday, Kersker said he had called off the protest and wanted to mend relations with the church.
"(We) apologize to Pastor Randy White and his congregation," Kersker wrote in an e-mail. "This church planned a meal with the best of intentions and only love in their hearts. We overreacted and embarrassed our Lord."
White could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Kersker said he did not want to divert any more energy to the issue, especially with a cold snap moving into the area.
"We have too many other things to worry about right now," he said. "The shelters are full, and we need to get blankets out and find places for people to sleep."
Kersker has battled mental illness for years, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, among other problems. He also abused drugs until about 1987 and spent time in a mental health hospital.
"Being mentally ill means you sometimes don't see things the way others do," he said.
"I'm an expert at making mistakes and being wrong," Kersker said. "The key is to learn and move forward."
