Highereducation Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I'll try to state this as briefly as possible. The church we attend will soon be holding a community event in which free food is given (a hot meal). Dh and I recently had cause to be in the church kitchen. We discovered that the cabinets are infested with mice. There are large amounts of droppings and shreddings. Some droppings were on the paper goods that are used to serve food. Some of the coffee packets had been chewed open. We cleaned it up as best we could and brought the situation to the pastor and other members who are involved with the upcoming event. While they all feigned surprise, it is our suspicion that the problem is not only known about, but has been covered up (we were lucky enough to discover a dead mouse in a trap in one of the drawers). Because food is being given away at this event and not sold, no permits are required from the town. Apparently, even with our discovery, the event will proceed as planned without any other precautions except placing all paper goods and utensils in a container that the mice will not be able to access. I am thoroughly grossed out and concerned for the public welfare. While I am very happy at the church otherwise, I don't believe what is being done is ethical. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Have they cleaned up the kitchen since your discovery? If they're leaving the droppings and things everywhere, that is a problem. If they have cleaned it all up and are doing what they can to keep it clean, then they're doing what they can. I'm not sure it's unethical, if only because I don't know what they are doing to fix the problem. Some people don't consider mice to be a big deal, especially in the winter. It could be that your church leaders all have mice problems at home and don't see the mice problems at church to be worth a lot of fuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 No, it's not ethical to ignore/cover up rodent infestation in a kitchen. Before the event, the kitchen should be emptied, thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated, and affected items (e.g. paper goods, chewed packets) should discarded and replaced. And then, if it was up to me, there would be very little stored in there (and then, in large rubbermaid containers) until the problem was corrected. We don't see mice as a gigantic problem, particularly in winter, but we do address / correct the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highereducation Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 The kitchen is cleaned once a week. The droppings were new. There are droppings in the drawers and on the floor. The sheer amount of destruction suggests that it's a major infestation. Someone mentioned that the basement has been infested for some time, and of course the mice will come up looking for food and things to line their nests. Here's my issue - if I was going to a restaurant and someone told me that it was infested with mice and had droppings all over the kitchen where my food was being cooked, I wouldn't eat at that restaurant. Moreover, I don't think the Board of Health would allow the restaurant to operate under those conditions. Had the other members been unaware of the situation, I wouldn't feel so dismayed. There are so many health hazards associated with mouse droppings, I simply can't believe that they don't seem to think it's a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawn of ns Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Had the other members been unaware of the situation, I wouldn't feel so dismayed. There are so many health hazards associated with mouse droppings, I simply can't believe that they don't seem to think it's a problem. We've dealt with mice in our kitchen and I've never been too worried but a few mice is different then an infestation. I don't know how I'd handle it. I assume this issue is coming up soon and there's already momentum behind it? Maybe you could organize a clean up crew the night before? Volunteer to disinfect the counters and cooktops that morning? But after that I think the mouse issue would have to be addressed by the church. You now know the problem and I don't think it's fair or ethical for other members of the church to expect you to just let it go when it could pose a serious health threat. I'd just be prepared to spearhead the mouse hunt myself. Churches, like many community groups, have a way of unloading problems on those who bring them up.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Churches, like many community groups, have a way of unloading problems on those who bring them up.:) The squeeky wheel gets to grease all the other wheels ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I was a restaurant inspector in Texas for a while years ago. Mice droppings can transmit Salmonella for one thing. Would your church want to be responsible for an outbreak of food poisoning? There's a world of difference between making a decision for your own family to ignore a few mice and ignoring an infestation that potentially could affect many innocent people. People who might not chose to eat there if they knew about the infestation. I also don't think the person who brings up the subject should have to solve the problem necessarily. This falls in a much different category than suggesting a new program or event. If your church were selling the food, the kitchen would be shut down until the problem was resolved. Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I was a restaurant inspector in Texas for a while years ago. Mice droppings can transmit Salmonella for one thing. Would your church want to be responsible for an outbreak of food poisoning? There's a world of difference between making a decision for your own family to ignore a few mice and ignoring an infestation that potentially could affect many innocent people. People who might not chose to eat there if they knew about the infestation. I also don't think the person who brings up the subject should have to solve the problem necessarily. This falls in a much different category than suggesting a new program or event. If your church were selling the food, the kitchen would be shut down until the problem was resolved. Judy I think this is your answer. If it were me (but I am staff at church and feel totally comfortable with our pastor), I'd go to him and point out the liability if someone were to get sick. If someone were to be hospitalized or worse yet, die from it, your church could be sued. Something like that could The way you approach it and word it may make the difference, but you know your pastor more than us. Our pastor isn't heavily involved in every detail of our church, but he would make sure it got done. We've had a couple of "incidents" in the past where we got bad publicity, and he does not want any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.