SANTA CRUZ — Sandra Loranger, a self-described "outlaw cook," sentenced to jail for feeding the homeless, says her incarceration won't stop her from serving soup and bread to the indigent in downtown Santa Cruz.
"I fully intend to continue making food available to the homeless in this community," said Loranger, 49, who is to begin serving a 30-day jail term next Thursday at Santa Cruz County's minimum-security facility for women.
Loranger, an antique store proprietor, was convicted after a three-day jury trial in June of distributing soup at a downtown mall without a permit from the county health department. She was sentenced to a 45-day jail term on Thursday but will serve only 30 days because of jail overcrowding.
During the trial, Loranger admitted she served food to the poor in an open-air mall regularly for almost three months, during which she was arrested four times. At one point, authorities said, Loranger and others involved in "criminal cooking" wore disguises to elude police.