Home-Cooked Food Is Back on the Menu

"I think they recognized how absolutely bizarre this [policy] was," Mahoney said.

In dozens of comments on the Washington Post's Web site, readers vented indignation over the ban on home-cooked food, calling it "idiocy," the product of a "bungling bureaucracy" and accusing the county of trying to block the faith community's efforts to help the poor.

Some also took umbrage at the notion that their churches' cuisine would be considered unsafe.

"I have been eating at my church function for YEARS and have NEVER received food poisoning, but I have eaten at several restaurants and have received food poisoning," said one posting. "Tell me whats wrong with this picture??"

Other hunger groups and area restaurants rallied to help the county shelters and churches that are set to start hosting the homeless in the winter-shelter program tonight. The D.C. Central Kitchen offered to provide food from its commercial kitchen to some shelters, and area restaurants had offered to help.

Under the church program, which operates for four months, the homeless are invited to spend nights in area churches, where they receive hot dinners and breakfasts.

The crackdown came after the county health department received a complaint about home-cooked food being served to the homeless.

Health officials said they were not aware that food from unapproved kitchens was being served in homeless shelters. Officials waived a $60 fee for churches that needed to get their kitchens certified and held additional food-handling classes for church volunteers.