BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -
For the last three years, the Bakersfield Burrito Project has fed burritos to the homeless at city parks every Sunday morning and Thanksgiving.

But Monday morning, Project boardmember Jason Rickett received a call from the City Recreation And Parks Department.

"They said 'You cannot use the parks any longer. It's shut down you cannot do this'," said Rickett.

Turns out, they have been operating without the proper permits.

Bakersfield Recreation And Parks Department Director Diane Hoover says under city ordinance, the Bakersfield Burrito Project needs a special event permit because its technically holding a public event.

But to get that they have to be a non-profit organization, which they are not.

They also need a million dollars worth of liability insurance.

"They would need to show us proof of insurance if anything happens to somebody (at the event)," said Hoover.

"We don't have thousands of dollars for insurance and all that. All we're trying to do is feed people," said Rickett.

And since they are serving food, they must obtain a health permit from the county.

"We want to make sure people have the proper food safety guidelines that they're following," said Hoover.

Hoover says its not just a health and safety issue, the city needs to know how many people to clean up after.

"We need to be notified if there's going to be 100 people here or a thousand people here," said Hoover.

Not to mention scheduling conflicts to consider.

"Go through our office so that we're not conflicting with other events that could be happening," said Hoover.

Rickett says while he understands the city is just following the law...

"We're just a little agency. We're just trying to feed people," said Rickett.

If you'd like to help the Bakersfield Burrito Project find a new place to hold their burrito handouts, you can call them at (661) 412-2568.