President Trump sends letter to Harrisburg woman under fire for serving breakfast out of home

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

President Donald Trump sent a signed letter and photograph of himself to a Boone County woman who was cited by the county’s health department for serving food out of her home.

Kathy Kite, of Harrisburg, received a letter from the president, which was dated Sept. 2. Trump’s letter included words of encouragement for Kite.

“Your generosity, dedication, and selfless acts of service continue to enrich the lives of your neighbors, strengthen your community, and exemplify the spirit that makes our Nation so special,” Trump’s letter states.

Discussion over the issue of has gained national attention in recent weeks.

An Aug. 27 letter to the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services from Kite’s lawyer Dave Roland, of the Goldwater Institute, challenges the department’s claim that the county’s food code was violated.

“Your letter implied that the Department did not consider the Food Code to apply if Ms. Kite was feeding ‘friends and family,’ but you did not identify any part of the Food Code that defines ‘friends and family,’ nor did you indicate what factors the Department would use to determine whether one of Ms. Kite’s guests was a ‘friend’ she was allowed to serve food at her home or a ‘member of the public’ she was not permitted to serve food at her home,” the letter states.

Health department spokesman Austin Krohn told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that there was no update on the situation.