The head of a northeast Ohio charity is speaking out against the Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan for showing up unannounced at the charity’s Youngstown soup kitchen and getting his pictures taken while he washed dishes in the dining hall.
The Washington Post reports that Congressman showed up, without any prior notice, at the soup kitchen on Saturday morning after a town hall at Youngstown State University.
A video clip also showed Ryan and his family putting on aprons, and the Congressman scrubbing down pots and pans.
Brian J. Antal, president of the Mahoning County St. Vincent De Paul Society has since said he was never contacted by the Romney campaign adding that, “They ramrodded their way” into the soup kitchen.
Antal is mainly concerned that Ryan’s visit could alienate or upset some of their donors, and in an interview with the Post, he said:
“We’re a faith-based organization; we are apolitical because the majority of our funding is from private donations … It’s strictly in our bylaws not to do it. They showed up there, and they did not have permission. They got one of the volunteers to open up the doors.”
Antal added, “The photo-op they did wasn’t even accurate. He did nothing. He just came in here to get his picture taken at the dining hall.”
It was also reported that the pots and pans that Ryan and family were seen washing and drying had earlier been cleaned by volunteers at the soup kitchen.