Paul Ryan Absent At Soup Kitchens, Shelters In His District, Say Local Charities

I know HP gets a lot of bad press on the board, and rightfully so. However, sometimes they feature original, insightful investigative pieces that deserves wider exposure. I think this is one of them.

Paul Ryan Absent At Soup Kitchens, Shelters In His District, Say Local Charities


by Jason Cherkis
jason.cherkis@huffingtonpost.com



WASHINGTON -- Rep. Paul Ryan's awkward visit last week to a Youngstown, Ohio, soup kitchen made national headlines and has been the butt of late-night jokes. The head of the charity that runs the soup kitchen complained to The Washington Post that Ryan and Co. "ramrodded their way" in for an unauthorized photo-op.
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Carol Hulburt, a coordinator at a food pantry in Milton, Wis., said Ryan has not once visited in the roughly 15 years she has worked there.

A worker who answered the phones at the House of Mercy family shelter said she has not seen the congressman come through its doors in the 10 years she has worked at the facility. The shelter's director did not return a request for comment.

Eric Levitt, Janesville's city manager, has volunteered with House of Mercy for nearly two years. He said he has not seen Ryan there. He told HuffPost that he had no idea how active the congressman has been with local soup kitchens or shelters. "I couldn't reliably tell you how involved he is," Levitt explained. "I don't know."